Ciarán Hinds joins cast of GAME OF THRONES
Another Northern Ireland actor has been cast in Game of Thrones, which is currently filming its third season in Northern Ireland. Ciarán Hinds has been confirmed to play the role of Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall.
According to Inside TV's James Hibberd, who announced the news exclusively, "the Rome actor has been cast as Wildling leader Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall. Rayder has united the disparate clans of the Far North behind a single mission: to attack The Wall. He’s been frequently referenced (though unseen) in the HBO hit fantasy drama’s first two seasons. In the second season finale, undercover Night’s Watchman Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was being taken to meet Rayder. The casting caps months — years, really — of online speculation about who would play Rayder."
Ciarán Hinds, who was seen recently in Terry George's Oscar®-winning short, The Shore (pictured), joins a growing list of Northern Ireland talent in the hit show which includes Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion), Conleth Hill (Lord Varys) and Ian McElhinney (Barristan Selmy).
Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones is an epic drama set in the world of Westeros, where ambitious men and women of both honor and ill-repute live in a land whose summers and winters can last years.
The production is based in Northern Ireland with filming taking place in the Paint Hall studio and the new sound stages in Belfast, the Linen Mill Film Studios in Banbridge, as well as various locations in Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones has received funding from the Northern Ireland Screen fund supported by Invest NI and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
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