Sean Bean is Ned Stark

I happened to catch part of GoldenEye over the weekend, and found myself wondering why Sean Bean doesn’t get more high profile roles. He’s such a solid actor, but he always seems to be relegated to “that guy” status. And then I saw the news that Bean had been cast as Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.

Sean Bean as Ned Stark?! Yes, please!

Ned is one of the best characters in the book, and arguably, one of the book’s only truly noble characters; I can easily picture Bean bringing the right amount of gravitas, melancholy, and warmth to the role.

Other casting announcements include Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, Harry Lloyd as Viserys, and Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey. I don’t know much, if anything about these actors, but the response ’round the Martin fan community to their casting has been pretty positive.

So far, I’d say that the producers are on the right track — they’ve got a good director and the cast is really shaping up. Shooting for A Game of Thrones begins in October in Ireland.

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