Whither Mance Rayder?
via Huffington Post:
Dominic West, best known for portraying the villain Jigsaw in Punisher: War Zone (and also a cop on some show called The Wire), revealed in an interview that he turned down a major role in HBO's Game of Thrones.
He couldn't remember the name of the character, but said the reason he turned it down was because he didn't want to relocate to Reykjavik for six months. And since they film scenes for the Night's Watch in Iceland, it's pretty easy to guess which character West was up for: Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall.
Back at Comic-Con, HBO announced a ton of new cast members for the show, but nothing on Mance. Given the way the second season ends the third book bears out, he's got to pop up within the first few episodes of the new season, if not the first episode.
So, what's the deal, HBO? Who's playing Mance? Filming on the third season started last month, with the debut set for March 31.
For those of you who haven't read the books, Mance is a former member of the Night's Watch who left the brotherhood for reasons that I'm sure will be revealed and I won't spoil. He's a major character, and it's a fun, meaty role for the right actor.
My choice? Stick with me on this: David Tennant. I picture Mance as playful and friendly, but with a slightly threatening undercurrent. That's a line Tennant straddled with aplomb on Doctor Who.
But that's me. Who would you cast as Mance Rayder?
If you haven't read the books, how about you just tell us how excited you are for the third season? Because c'mon, this show is great.
News by Rob W. Hart
Rob W. Hart is the class director at LitReactor, as well as the associate publisher for MysteriousPress.com. He's the author of The Last Safe Place: A Zombie Novella, and his short stories have appeared in Shotgun Honey, Thuglit, Crime Factory, and Needle: A Magazine of Noir. He lives in New York City, and you can find his website at www.robwhart.com.
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I've not read the books or watched the show. I'm not generally a big fantasy guy and nothing about it has hooked me thus far from friends trying to get me into it, etc. I was a huge fan of The Wire but can't imagine West doing a fantasy role. That might have gotten me interested enough to at least see him do something so drastically different.
I'd actually quite like the dude that plays Gaius Baltar on Battlestar Galactica for Mance Rayder.
My vote would go to someone a bit more grizzled and imposing, like Ron Perlman or Ian McShane. They should find a role for McShane somewhere, i think he would be perfectt for this show.
Mance Rayder is well known in the series for not only his wits and charm, but his ability to sing. Why not cast someone who is RIGHT for the role (and in my opinion would be the only person fit to play the role)...Viggo Mortensen aka Aragorn...While I read the books, he was actually the mental image I got of the character. Not to mention, we know Viggo can sing. All in all, casting calls are my forte, I guessed correctly that Eddard Stark would be played by Sean Bean in the first season bc he was also the mental image I had of the character. People need to realize that while there is the issue of finding the right actor for the role, the more important issue is finding the right role for the actor...Viggo was born to be mance and would do a fantastic job as the King Beyond the Wall. .......................not to mention he freaking looks exactly like a former man from the Nights Watch.
Here is a picture of "Mance Rayder" for those of you who live under a rock and don't know who Aragorn is...http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/storage/viggo-mortensen.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1331094181584