We’ve mentioned GRRM’s latest clues for casting of HBO’s Game of Thrones pilot briefly, but we’d be remiss not to share the exact text and some of the speculations that have followed.
“I could tell you the latest casting news, but really, the big guy should do that.
The grey man once had groupies. Yes, girls. Who?
The horse is saddled and bridled, but the rider has not yet appeared.”
It’s been pointed out that the first remark is certainly a clue about a part that has been cast, which I missed entirely in my previous post. The common theory is that this indicates Ian McNeice, an actor known to fans of HBO’s Rome as a big guy who delivered news in the Roman Forum. The “gray man” with groupies and the query “Who?” initially led me to think of Roger Daltrey of The Who, who has turned his hand to acting in the past. However, it seems he’s just launched a solo U.S. tour that lasts through November. While there are significant breaks between appearances, it seems unlikely he’ll be acting in-between. Instead, Winter is Coming readers have put forward Donald Sumpter, on the basis of several Doctor Who appearances and his role in Groupie Girl.
Finally, the remarks about the rider suggests that an actor for Khal Drogo has not yet been locked in.