My readers in the UK have been emailing me for months, wanting to know whether GAME OF THRONES would be shown over there. The answer (I hoped) was “yes,” but I could not give details, because (1) I didn’t know, actually, and (2) some major negotiations were going on behind the scenes.

But now the GUARDIAN has broken the story, so all can be told:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/29/bskyb-buys-hbo-tv-catalogue

The short version: SKY has bought the UK rights to the entire HBO catalog of original shows, past and present.

So, yes, GAME OF THRONES will be seen in the UK… on SKY.

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And it did not take you very damn long to figure out the second role as well.

The part of Shae, the camp follower that Bronn the sellsword finds before the battle of the Green Fork and delivers to Tyrion Lannister, will be played by the amazing SIBEL KEKILLI.

Shae needs no introduction to any Ice & Fire reader, I would imagine. If you’ve forgotten her, you obviously weren’t paying attention, so get off the internet at once and go and reread the books. There may be a pop quiz.

Sibel Kekilli is a German actress of Turkish descent, who crashed onto the film scene in a big way in 2004 in an award-winning film called HEAD-ON, after being discovered by the casting director while shopping in a mall in Cologne. She’s won both the Bambi Prize (the deer) and the Lola Award (cherry cola, L-O-L-A Lola, and if you missed that clue, you obviously haven’t been listening to enough Kinks). The Lola is the “German Oscar,” and Sibel has actually won it twice. She’s also won the Tribeca Award and the Golden Orange Prize.

I want to say a few words about her audition, which I thought was extraordinary. A lot of beautiful young women read for Shae. The scene they were reading was the first meeting between Shae and Tyrion, in his tent on the Green Fork the night before the battle. Shae is a camp follower, a prostitute, and she is, of course, coming on to Tyrion in a big way. There is a LOT of sexual heat in the scene, as written and as played. And all of our Shaes were sexy as hell. Watching them one after another would fog up anyone’s glasses.

But there’s another dimension to Shae as well. She’s not as practiced and hardened at this as a more seasoned pro. There’s still a girl next door quality to her, a sense of vulnerability, playfulness, and, yes, innocence. And it’s that quality Tyrion responds to, that quality that brings him back to Shae, and drives all that follows. He knows what she is, consciously, but down deep he wants to believe that he has found another Tysha.

All of our Shaes were hot as hell. But only a handful of them captured that other quality, maybe three out of twenty, and Sibel was the standout. It’s easy to see why she has won all those awards. Watching those auditions, any red-blooded male would want to take every one of our Shae candidates to bed. But Sibel made you fall in love with her as well.

She’s going to be amazing. And I can’t believe you figured out who she was so fast!

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muttermuttermuttermutter

I cannot BELIEVE how fast you guys unravel even my most obscure and difficult clues. The CIA should be looking to hire you all to break cyphers.

(I’m going to “Adult Content” this post, which I’ve never done before, because… well it will be pretty self-explanatory).

Anyway, yes, you nailed the first one in three blinks and a winks. The role of Dany’s handmaiden Doreah will be played by ROXANNE MCKEE.

Doreah was one of three slave girls given to Dany as a wedding present by her brother Viserys (big brother’s gift), though of course Viserys got the girls from Magister Illyrio Mopatis, which is why I misremembered them as the fat man’s gift. Irri and Jhiqui are Dothraki, but Doreah came from the pillow houses of Lys.

Roxanne McKee was born in Canada (the great white north), but moved to England, where she appeared in the soap opera HOLLYOAKS (the land of oaks and hollies). She has thrice been nominated for “Sexiest Female” in the British Soap Awards, winning twice (she was the sexiest female twice, NOT the sexiest female once). Her most recent role was in a film called F . She has also appeared on LILY ALLEN & FRIENDS, and Lily of course is the sister of our Theon, Alfie Allen.

Doreah is given to Dany to instruct her in the erotic arts. Viserys himself vouches for her skills. We had a lot of beautiful young women reading for the role, so this one was a tough call. Congratulations to Roxanne on winning the part.

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Big brother’s gift is the sexiest female. The sellsword’s gift is like cherry cola. Take twelve steps to big brother’s gift. No, no, the other one. Big brother’s gift is not the sexiest female. The sellsword’s gift was shopping when they found her. Big brother’s gift has known a lot of ups and downs. No, no, the other one. Big brother’s gift is a friend of the kraken’s sister. The sellsword’s gift once won a deer. Big brother’s gift came from the great white north to the land of oak and hollies, where she was the sexiest female, sometimes. Yes, that one, The sellsword’s gift tackles life head on. Big brother’s gift gets a F. No, no, the other one. Controversy and the sellsword’s gift are no strangers. All the gifts are hot, hot, hot… but that’s not a clue, just a comment.

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It saddens me to announce that we’ve had a casting change on the HBO series.

My old friend Roy Dotrice, who had been scheduled to play the part of Grand Maester Pycelle, has had to withdraw from the show for medical reasons. Roy was a colleague of mine from our days together on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, where he played the part of Father. More recently, he was my own personal choice as the reader on the audiobooks for A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and did a wonderful job of reading the first three volumes (a schedule conflict required us to use a different reader for book four), playing all the parts and giving each character his own distinctive voice. Roy would have magnificent as Grand Maester Pycelle, and I was eagerly looking forward to seeing his council scenes with Varys, Littlefinger, and Ned.

Unfortunately, his health does not permit him to continue at this time. I just spoke with Roy, who is presently in Los Angeles receiving treatment. He tells me that his doctors say that, with three or four months of treatment, he should be back to his old self, and “right as rain” by Christmas. David and Dan and the folks at HBO were as distraught about losing him as I was, and all of us wish him a speedy and complete recovery. Once Roy is back to full health, we hope to find another role for him in the series. After all, he’s played them ALL on the audiobooks.

Good luck, Roy. All your fans and friends will be thinking of you.

Meanwhile, back in Belfast… they have this saying in the theatre, you know the one… “the show must go on.” And so it must. The redoubtable Nina Gold and her team faced a huge task in finding someone to fill the shoes of a Roy Dotrice, but as ever, they have done a smashing job. The role of Grand Maester Pycelle will now be played by JULIAN GLOVER.

Glover has a list of credits in stage, screen, and television that’s just as long as that of Dotrice. The two of them have worked together, in fact — when I mentioned him to Roy, he responded that Glover was “my old mate from the Royal Shakespeare Company.”

Our new Pycelle will be no stranger to fans of SF and fantasy. He was an Imperial officer in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and he’s appeared in DOCTOR WHO, TROY, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, and even SPACE: 1999, among countless other films and television shows. More recently, he’s been seen in THE YOUNG VICTORIA and in the forthcoming PRINCESS KAUILANI (with the lovely Tamzin Merchant).

Roy Dotrice will be missed, but Julian Glover will make Pycelle his own, we have no doubt. Last I heard, he was already in Belfast, being fitted for a long white beard.

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It’s evening in Belfast, and the first day of shooting is now in the can.

Feels strange. Exciting, but also… I don’t know, maybe I’m feeling a bit of empty nest syndrome. My kids have left home, and are making their own way in the world.

I’d wish good luck to everyone involved in the HBO production, but I recall that you never say that in the theatre. Maybe everyone concerned break several legs.

And me… well, a blank computer screen awaits. Still a lot of story to tell.

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This time at least it required a second round of clues. But you folks continue to be scary good. Obviously you know every actor and actress in the world, and have seen every film and television show ever made, no matter how obscure.

(Either that, or you’ve been using this new-fangled thing called the interweb. It’s made of tubes, I hear).

Anyway, yes, you got it. Dany’s handmaid Irri will be played by AMRITA ACHARIA (spelled Acharya on some sites, but I have it with the “i,” and she seems to be the same person).

Her initials, obviously, are AA. Twelve steps, get it?

She has been acclaimed for her performance in a play called ELEVATOR (ups and downs):
http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/event/185018/elevator

A photo of her is featured on a website called My Glass Eye, and she has also appeared in a film called THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (I used devil as a clue) and another called COLLECTABLES (which I almost used as a clue).

She’s young, she’s lovely, she’s talented, and she’s Irri. It is known.

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The big HBO fact sheet, seen below, announced a whole bunch of new castings. Too many for me to discuss all at once, unless I wanted to devote the whole day to it. Which I don’t. I have a big monkey to wrestle.

Let me say a few words about a few, however. (I’ll get to the others in good time).

In the part of Marillion the singer (who is NOT named after the band), we have EMUN ELLIOTT, a young Scottish actor who has recently appeared in BLACK DEATH with Sean Bean.

He could almost pass for a member of the Night’s Watch in that gear, I think. His other credits include MONARCH OF THE GLEN and an SF crime drama called PARADOX.

EMUN ELLIOTT

He did not actually play the lute in his auditions, so I can’t say whether he will be singing his own songs when that time comes.

As Maester Aemon, we have PETER VAUGHAN, another truly amazing British character actor with a resume that stretches back to 1954 and includes appearances in such classic films as THE 39 STEPS, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, TIME BANDITS, THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN, and many many more. He’s worked with Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney, and his TV credits include everything from THE SAINT to THE PALLISERS to WAR AND REMEMBRANCE. He’s going to be a sensational Maester Aemon.

PETER VAUGHAN

Equally distintinguished is the resume of the actress who will play Old Nan, one of Aemon’s rivals for the title is oldest living resident of the Seven Kingdoms (Walder Frey is up there too, but he hasn’t been cast yet). Her name is MARGARET JOHN.

MARGARET JOHN

Born and raised in Wales, Margaret John has been acting professionally since 1960. British audiences known her best for her recurring role as Doris in the television series GAVIN & STACY. SF fans may remember her from her appearances on DOCTOR WHO and BLAKE’S 7. But her credits go on and on forever, and her Old Nan was a delight.

As for my latest round of clues… yes, you solved this one too. Give yourselves a pat on the head. You guys are impossible to fool for long.

So let me confirm. The part of OSHA will be played by NATALIA TENA.

NATALIA TENA

“Arthur and Morgana are familiar with this wildling wench,” I said. The wildling wench is Osha, of course. Natalia appeared with Jamie Campbell Bower in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS and with Eva Green in WOMB. JBC will play Arthur and Eva Green will be Morgana in the new Starz series CAMELOT.

“In the books she has not met Theon’s sister (yet). Real life? Well… ” Osha has not encountered Asha in the novels, no. But Natalia went to school with singer Lily Allen, the sister of Alfie Allen, who will play Theon in the series.

“Actress and character both made a splash,” I wrote. The scene used in the audition was the godswood scene where Bran comes on Osha bathing in the pool beneath the weirwood. And Natalie took a celebrated skinny dip during a music festival a year ago, as reported in the British press.

Fantasy fans will know Tena best for her portrayal of the purple-haired Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter films. When I saw that she was reading for Osha, my first thought was, “She’s great, but no way, she’s too young and too hot.” Then I saw her reading, and none of the other Oshas had a chance. Her charisma grabbed me by the throat and I could not take my eyes off her. David and Dan felt the same way. We’re all thrilled to have her.

So that’s four. Discuss amongst yourselves. My monkey is waiting.

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Arthur and Morgana are familiar with this wildling wench.

In the books she has not met Theon’s sister (yet). Real life? Well…

Actress and character both made a splash.

(Oh, and I LOVED her reading. We all did. But that’s not a clue).

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And here’s the big blast from HBO that I have been promising:

============================================================

GAME OF THRONES

HBO Entertainment
Season one will total 10 episodes
Production is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is will begin principal photography on July 26, 2010.

“Game of Thrones” has received funding from Northern Ireland Screen and will shoot in the Paint Hall studio, Belfast, as well as various locations in Northern Ireland. A second location for production will be Malta with assistance from the Malta Film Commission.

LOG LINE:

“Game of Thrones” is a new original HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling novels. In a world where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime, the Westeros crown comes with a price. Betrayal, lust, intrigue and supernatural forces shake the four corners of the Kingdom, from the scheming south and the savage eastern lands, to the frozen north and the ancient Wall that protects the realm from the darkness beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noble men vie for power in the bloody struggle for the Iron Throne.

SERIES CREDITS:

David Benioff Executive Producer
D.B. Weiss Executive Producer
Carolyn Strauss Co-Executive Producer
Guymon Casady Co-Executive Producer
Vince Gerardis Co-Executive Producer
Ralph Vicinanza Co-Executive Producer
George R.R. Martin Co-Executive Producer
Mark Huffam Producer
Frank Doelger Producer
Marco Pontecorvo Director of Photography
Alik Sakharov Director of Photography
Gemma Jackson Production Designer
Michele Clapton Costume Designer

The pilot was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The writers of the series are: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss (seven episodes), Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson and George R.R. Martin (one episode each). !œGame of Thrones! is based on the series of books !œA Song of Ice and Fire! by George R.R. Martin.

The pilot director was Tom McCarthy. Series directors include: Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan and Alan Taylor. Other directors will be announced as they are confirmed.

SERIES REGULARS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
Sean Bean as Eddard !œNed! Stark
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jamie Lannister
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark
Aidan Gillen as Littlefinger
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon
Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
Kit Harington as Jon Snow
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen
Richard Madden as Rob Stark
Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane (Hound)
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark

FEATURED CAST IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
Jerome Flynn as Bronn
Conleth Hill as Varys
Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo
Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin

GUEST CAST IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Josef Altin as Pyp
Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon
Ciaran Bermingham as Mord
Esme Bianco as Ros
Susan Brown as Septa Mordane
Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt
Antonia Christophers as Mhaegen
Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn
Roy Dotrice as Grand Maester Pycelle
Emun Elliott as Marillion
Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn
Jefferson Hall as Ser Hugh of the Vale
Derek Halligan as Alliser Thorne
Rhodri Hosking as Mycah
Margaret John as Old Nan
Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell
Dermot Keaney as Gared
Francis Magee as Yoren
Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
Brendan McCormack as Ser Vardis Egan
Ian McElhinney as Ser Barristan Selmy
Luke McEwan as Rast
Kristian Nairn as Hodor
Rob Ostlere as Ser Waymar Royce
Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister
Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel
John Standing as Jon Arryn
Conan Stevens as Gregor !œThe Mountain! Clegane
Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon Targaryen
Miltos Yeromelou as Syrio Forel

==========================================================================

George again, with a few closing comments.

Yes, we will be filming in Malta, rather than returning to Morocco. The Knights Hospitaller were kind enough to build some great sets for us.

“Mhaegan” is little Barra’s mother. She has no name in the novel.

Two more directors have been named. This was news to me as well. I’m excited too.

Lysa’s son has been renamed for the series. “Robin” instead of “Robert,” as in the books. He’s still Sweetrobin.

Marillion has not been renamed, though I offered to do so. I was tired of people assuming he was named after the band. I had never heard of the band when I named him, though I’ve heard a lot about them since.

’nuff said. This should give you plenty to chew on for a few days… while casting continues and we nail down a few more parts. Lots more still to come, including Osha, Shae, and Twyin.

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