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Game of Thrones’ casts ‘Rome’ actor as Mance Rayder

Game of Thrones’ season 3 has ended fan speculation by casting ‘Rome’ actor Ciarán Hinds as Wildling leader Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall. The character is known to unite the disparate clans of the Far North.

Filming of the third HBO series is taking place in Croatia, Iceland and Morocco, with its main production base in Hinds birthplace in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Although the character of Rayder has been frequently referenced (though unseen) in the first two seasons. The season two finale showed undercover Night’s Watchman Jon Snow (Kit Harington) being taken to meet Rayder.

Ciarán Hinds is best known for his roles in films and TV such as, ‘Munich’, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ and most recently ‘John Carter’ and ‘The Women in Black’, and in TV ‘Jane Eyre’ and most notably as Julius Caesar in HBO’s ‘Rome’.

Fellow ‘Rome’ actor Tobias Menzies (who played Brutus) was also recently cast as in the third series as Edmure Tully, the younger brother of Catelyn Stark, who has become Lord of Riverrun in the wake of his father’s death.

Game of Thrones’ returns March 31.