Every year, HBO’s high fantasy series Game of Thrones adds a bevy of new characters, and the show’s upcoming fifth season will be no different. At Comic-Con yesterday, the premium cable network announced the casting of actors in nine key roles. The list includes a recasting of Myrcella Baratheon (Cersei’s daughter, last seen being carted off to Dorne for her own protection way back in season 2) and the addition of the High Sparrow, an important character who becomes a big part of King’s Landing next season. Other roles include multiple inhabitants of the kingdom of Dorne, homeland of the ill-fated Oberyn Martell.
The full list of new characters, and the actors portraying them, is as follows:
- The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce, Brazil) – “A devout and pious man, the High Sparrow came to King’s Landing to serve those forgotten by much of the world – the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm – 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.”
- Myrcella Baratheon (Neill Tiger Free, Broken) – “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.”
- Doran Martell (Alexander Siddig, 24) – “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.”
- Trystane Martell (Toby Sebastian, After the Dark) – “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.”
- Obara Sand (Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider) – “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.”
- Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, The Whistleblower) – “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.”
- Nymeria (“Nym”) Sand (Jessica Henwick, Silk) – “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.”
- Areo Hotah (DeObia Oparei, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) – “Areo Hotah is the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe.”
- Yezzan (Enzo Cilenti, Rome) – “Yezzan was an extremely wealthy slave trader before Daenerys Targaryen outlawed the slave trade.”
Definitely an intriguing mix of characters, and it looks like we’ll spend quite a bit of time in Dorne when Game of Thrones returns for its fifth season in 2015.
