A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones Spoiler-Filled Discussion

More casting news:

Gemma Whelan, previously rumored for the part, has been confirmed as Yara Greyjoy (that name change is going to take some getting used to), while Kerr Logan has been cast as Matthos Seaworth and Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos.

 

Asha's name change is stupid.

 

^Agreed. Osha and Asha are too close, but Yara and Arya aren't? Besides, how many times has Osha's name been spoken on-screen, anyway? Would've made more sense to rename Osha. Is anyone really going to confuse the characters?

Spoiler: ADWD spoiler about names

If the show makes it to Meereen, what are they going to do about Hizdahr and the rest of the crazy Meereneese names?

 

It's especially dumb because Osha is going to disappear by the end of this season, while Asha/Yara will only become more prominent.

 

No it wouldn't, because Osha has already appeared in the series. It's far too late to rename her.

Alton Lannister is the one that has me puzzled, really. Assuming he is a reworked Cleos Frey - presumably renamed to make his Lannister connection more obvious (particularly as his ties to the Frey family - given the Frey's role on the side of the Starks - would be semi-confusing) -why not just call him Cleos Lannister?

 

Spoiler: reply to spoilered post

They will probably call them Bob or Steve.

In other news, Xaro Xhoan Daxos and one of Davos' sons have been cast:
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/News/Entry/Meet_Xaro_Xhoan_Daxos/

Interesting choice for Quartheen plot ...

 

Yes, but presumably the writers knew of Asha's existence prior to writing the first season, and knew that Asha was going to be significantly more prominent than Osha. Would've made more sense to call her something else had they been planning ahead...

As for Alton Lannister/Cleos Frey, I have no idea why the rename, particularly from Cleos to Alton. Of course, there are so many Freys to keep straight anyway that they may have decided that fewer Freys to keep track of may have been better over the long run. (Somewhere on the Internet, someone actually worked out the line of succession for the entire Frey house, and it's insane.)

 

The idea to rename her clearly occurred fairly late in the game. I think earlier in this thread there was a casting call which still identified her as 'Asha Greyjoy.'

The showrunners aren't capable of prognostication. It's possible, you know, that it never occured to them that the similarity between Asha and Osha would be best avoided by naming the characters differently until they were casting Asha for season two. The only other major character's name they've changed so far is Robert Arryn (to Robin) and since he actually had the exact same name as the King the issue was a little more obivous. They probably figured on calling her Asha when they were filming the first season.

That happens, it's television, not every difficulty or issue is going to be foreseen.

Oh the change to a Lannister makes sense. The thing that actually matters about Cleos Frey is that he's related to the Lannisters and is thus a prisoner of the Starks. That he's also a Frey - the family that is currently allied to the Starks - is a bit of a wrinkle that'd take at least a scene to explain and not a detail we particularly need.

But from Cleos to Alton's the bit that throws me.

 

It's possible that Weiss/Benioff had no intention to change Asha's name, and did it at HBO's behest.

 

Yeah but the name "Osha" has never been said on screen. So they could rename her.

 

I think they did call her "Osha" once or twice, hence the problem.

As for Robert Arryn, given that his nickname is "Sweetrobin," I actually hadn't noticed the name change.

 

German actor Tom Wlaschiha has been cast as Jaqen H'ghar.

 

Roy Dotrice has been cast as Pyromancer Hallyne. He was originally cast as Grand Maester Pycelle but had to withdraw because of an illness.

 

^Great! Dotrice is wonderful, plus, his audio versions of the books are fantastic.

 

Yeah, this annoys me greatly as Asha is probably one of my favorite characters and Osha definitely had less "page time." If they had just put a little more forethought into it, then they could have renamed Osha. Still, why change the name at all? Most people don't get confused between a name Tim and Jim.

 

Hannah Murray (best known for Skins) has been cast as Gilly. GRRM's latest casting clues point to Ben Crompton as Dolorous Edd.

 

It's been confirmed that Ben Crompton has been cast as Dolorous Edd. Also, Irish actor Michael McElhatton has been cast as Roose Bolton.

 

Michael McElhatton looks perfect for Roose Bolton, one of the most hated characters in the books.

 

Nah, he's a fairly stable, well-adjusted guy compared to his son.

 

Indeed!