Mace Tyrell Cast For Season Four of Game of Thrones, Is Not Mark Gatiss

According to a post on George R.R. Martin‘s blog, Mark Gatiss will not be playing Mace Tyrell in the new season of Game of Thrones, as speculation had suggested, because someone else is.

So what’s the theory now? Who is playing Mace Tyrell? Head under the cut to find out, and beware the vague (unhidden) and major (hidden) spoilers for season four and beyond!

From GRRM’s blog:

Yes, it’s the fine British character actor Roger Ashton-Griffiths, who has been cast in the role of Mace Tyrell, son to the Queen of Thorns, and father of Loras and Margaery.

Ashton-Griffiths certainly looks the part and has the chops to carry it out, but where does that leave Mycroft Holmes Mark Gatiss?

We can only speculate. Considering that the Dornishmen already cast are not pasty-white British guys (like the rest of Westeros and also Gatiss) it seems he will not be joining their ranks. So who else is introduced in the coming plot? Well, dear readers, I pose this theory: Gatiss will be joining the house Greyjoy.

Soon we will see the introduction of the other Greyjoy patriarchs– Aeron, Euron, and Victarion. Gatiss could conceivably be one of these men fighting for the Seastone Chair. If I had to guess, I would say that Gatiss might be heading the way of Aeron “Damphair” Greyjoy, priest of the Drowned God.

Physical description taken from the Game of Thrones Wiki:

[Aeron] is tall and thin with fierce black eyes and a beak of a nose. He garbs himself in roughspun robes dyed in the green, grey, and blue of the Drowned God. He never cuts his hair, which falls to his waist and he weaves seaweed into it.

Though his image is very much tied to the prim and polished Mycroft Holmes, I think Gatiss could be transformed into the pious Aeron with some good costuming– the man is certainly a good enough actor to handle the part.

Another theory is that he will be playing Merrett Frey. But why would that warrant such secretive casting? [Major season four/A Storm of Swords spoilers] Well, Merrett’s primary involvement is with Lady Stoneheart, better known as zombie Catelyn Stark. Her existence alone is a huge deal, so if Gatiss will be cast as someone close to her then it makes sense why his character is kept so hush-hush. Gatiss would be a good Frey; he is plenty experienced at characters who ooze that Freyish weaselly self-importance. Also it’s certainly par for the course for Game of Thrones to introduce a famous actor and kill him off after one scene.

Who do you think Mark Gatiss will be playing? Tell us what you think in the comments!

(via: io9)

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