Ian McShane is joining season six of Game Of Thrones but in what capacity has yet to be revealed.
The English actor will have an important role in the series, according to Variety. Even though his character is supposed to be key to one of the season’s plot lines, he isn’t expected to have a lot of screen time. This is McShane’s return to HBO, he starred in the critically acclaimed drama Deadwood.
Based on McShane’s appearance, fans of the books have already begun wondering who he could be playing. Zap2It has speculated that he may be playing Euron; Lord Balon Greyjoy’s younger brother. He’s described in the books as having black hair and a beard.
Production of the sixth season of Game Of Thrones is already underway. Filming has begun in Belfast. Kit Harrington’s appearance there has only furthered rumors of Jon Snow’s survival as we reported on here. The direction of the series has been kept especially secret this season as the series heads into territory that has not been revealed in George R. R. Martin’s books yet.
The ten episode season is expected to air in the spring, though no official date has been announced. Good news for fans coming out of the TCA press tour is that the series is expected to last at least three more seasons with the potential of a prequel. You can read more about what HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo said about the series here.