The panel’s over, and the big news out of it is that HBO revealed a number of the new cast members via a casting video, seen below (keep reading for HBO’s press release, and a bonus season 4 blooper reel!):
HBO has confirmed some of the new cast members for the fifth season of the hit series GAME OF THRONES, with many of them appearing in a video that was unveiled today at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2014.
Among the new actors and the characters they will portray are:
Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell. Doran Martell is the ruling lord of Dorne and older brother to the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Unlike his brother, Doran is even-tempered and deliberate. Now, all of Dorne waits to see how their lord will react to his brother’s death.
Toby Sebastian as Trystane Martell. Trystane Martell is Prince Doran’s son and heir to Dorne. His father betrothed him to Myrcella Baratheon as part of the alliance offered by Tywin Lannister, then Hand of the King.
Nell Tiger Free as Myrcella Baratheon. Myrcella Baratheon is officially the eldest child of Cersei Lannister and the late King Robert Baratheon, though in truth her father is Cersei’s own brother, Jaime Lannister. For years, she has been a guest and ward of Prince Doran, betrothed to his son, but her position has become tenuous with the death of Oberyn Martell, the Prince’s brother.
DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah. Areo Hotah is the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe.
Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan. Yezzan was an extremely wealthy slave trader before Daenerys Targaryen outlawed the slave trade.
Jessica Henwick as Nymeria (“Nym”) Sand. Nym Sand is the second eldest of the late Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters. Her mother was an Eastern noblewoman who brought Nym up to be cultured, graceful and deadly with a whip.
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand. Tyene Sand is the daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell by Ellaria Sand, his final paramour. Tyene is fiercer than she looks, especially with her twin daggers.
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand. A fearsome warrior, Obara Sand is the eldest bastard daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Her mother was a Dornish peasant girl who caught the eye of the late Prince.
Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow. A devout and pious man, the High Sparrow came to King’s Landing to serve those forgotten by much of the world â`“ the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm â`“ and quickly amassed a large following. His fellow believers have swarmed over the city, ministering to the lowest and decrying the corruption of the highest.
Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, GAME OF THRONES is an epic drama set in the world of Westeros, where ambitious men and women of both honor and ill-repute live in a land whose summers and winters can last years. The Emmy®- and Golden Globe-winning fantasy series concluded its ten-episode fourth season in June, with the fifth season scheduled to launch in 2015.
Siddig’s an actor that has been touted in the past—prior to season 4, he was a common suggestion for Oberyn Martell, and I think he’ll do very well as Prince Doran. Other named cast members a collection of younger, less well-known actors such as Nell Tiger Free and Toby Sebastian, and more established performers such as DeObia Oparei (it will be interesting to see if Areo Hotah remains Norvoshi or if, like Xaro Xhoan Daxos and Salladhor Saan, is given different origins), Enzo Cilenti (playing a much slimmer Yezzan, we expect, than the original character) and (most notably) Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow.
These are not going to be all the named roles cast this season, but they are most of the significant ones, at least. Possibly some roles scheduled for filming later this year—filming has commenced, it should be noted—may well be revealed later, but for the most part the above are going to be the chief new additions for this season.
And now, for something completely different…