The casting call for Season 3 of HBOâs resident fantasy-drama (but mostly drama) Game of Thrones was always going to be a bigâun, as creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss face the challenge of further expanding George R.R. Martinâs already-unruly world; early word had the cast growing by at least 11. Today at Comic-Con, HBO officially revealed 14 new combatants in the Game of Thrones, with more announcements still to come. While many of them had already leaked out in the days leading up to the event, the biggest news is certainly that Dame Diana Rigg, best known for the 1960s British series The Avengers, has been tapped for the role of fan favorite Olenna Tyrell (aka Olenna Redwyne, aka âThe Queen of Thornsâ).Hit the jump for more on Olenna and all the other new faces youâll be seeing in Westeros next spring, including an introductory video screened at the Con. Also, click over to Matt Goldbergâs recap of the Game of Thrones panel to see what cast and crew had to say about the show.First off, Olenna is the cunning, sharp-tongued matriarch of the Tyrell clan and grandmother to current Game players Margaery Tyrell and Loras âKnight of the Flowersâ Tyrell. I havenât read the books, as Iâm already invested in seeing this story play out in high-def, but this woman comes billed as a major operatorâ¦as if we needed another one of those. Itâs already puppet masters on top of puppet masters here, people.The rest of the characters confirmed today are as follows (per THR):
- Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes) as Catelyn Starkâs dutiful uncle, Bryndon Tully (âThe Blackfishâ)
- Tobias Menzies (Rome) as Catelyn's brash brother Edmure Tully
- Mackenzie Crook (BBCâs The Office) as âskinchangingâ wildling raider Orell
- Richard Dormer (Jump)as Beric Dondarrion, leader of outlaw group Brothers Without Banners
- Nathalie Emannuel (Hollyoakes) as child slave Missandei
- Kerry Ingram as Stannis Baratheon's only child, Shireen
- Tara Fitzgerald (Sirens)as Stannisâ estranged wife, Selyse
- Paul Kaye (Match Point)as Thoros of Myr, a red priest of the same order as Stannisâ go-to sorceress Melisandre.
- Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Phineas and Ferb) as Bran Starkâs uniquely gifted friend Jojen Reed, and Ellie Kendrick as his huntress sister Meera
- Kristofer Hivju (The Thing)Â as Tormund Giantsbane, chief lieutenant of wildling leader Mance Rayder
- Philip McGinley (Prometheus)Â as archer Anguy
- Anton Lesser (The Hour) as ex-maester Qyburn
Hereâs the video HBO screened at the panel, in which the new cast members discuss what itâs like to be on Game of Thrones. Spoiler alert: Itâs awesome.
As mentioned, there are still more roles to be filled, the most prominent of which is former Nightâs Watchman, current âKing Beyond the Wallâ Mance Rayder, whoâs been heavily hyped as a badass over the first two seasons. Any fans of the books have thoughts on who should step into his boots? Or those of Stormcrow captain Daario Naharis? As always, if you chime in, try to refrain from discussing things us TV folk donât know about yet.