[BOOK SPOILERS] I've collected all the info I could on S2 casting and did side by side pics

[Rob the God]

Awesome castings!

I belive Liam Cunnington as Davos will be one of the best fits we will ever see on TV :)

Also love the Mel, Balon, Edd, Craster and Gilly castings

Well i pretty much like them all except Asha and i imagined rattleshirt and Qhorin exactly the other way around :D (Simon Armstrong would be a great rattleshirt)

[Milgod morghulis]

It's funny. I pictured Asha just as Whelan looks. Maybe it is the picture that most people are showing of Whelan that throws you off. She is attractive, but not in a straight away obvious way, she also looks like she could kick a bit of ass to me.

I love all the casting in terms of looks, so we'll see how they act soon enough.

Dolorous Edd is the best. The perfect 'woe is me' face.

[HyacinthGirl]

Out of interest, anyone know if David Michael Scott is still Beric Dondarrion, or if he's just a filler actor & Beric will be recast?

[Toiltoil]

It so sad that they have left so many great characters from the book out of the show,

I am really missing the Tullys, both the Blackfish and Edmure, and offcurse the Reeds and Reek our lovley Reek..

But I still love many of the castings they have done, I think Roose Bolton will be amazing, hopefully the actor has a thin low voice...

And I hope they will keep going with a third season and cast a great Obyren Martell

[Jory]

Out of interest, anyone know if David Michael Scott is still Beric Dondarrion, or if he's just a filler actor & Beric will be recast?

Beric doesn't show up for another book so it could be 1-2 seasons until we actually see him, and when we do, he looks entirely different and has scars and is missing an eye and all that good shit. Either way works.

[WenchofTarth]

It so sad that they have left so many great characters from the book out of the show,

I am really missing the Tullys, both the Blackfish and Edmure, and offcurse the Reeds and Reek our lovley Reek..

But I still love many of the castings they have done, I think Roose Bolton will be amazing, hopefully the actor has a thin low voice...

And I hope they will keep going with a third season and cast a great Obyren Martell

The Tullys we can live without I think but how can they leave out Reek and the Reeds? They are pretty important characters for this season.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

The Tullys we can live without I think but how can they leave out Reek and the Reeds? They are pretty important characters for this season.

Reek - They have Theon take Winterfell solo (without Reek's help) at the end of S2, and then have Reek/Ramsey show up in S3 to take it back.

Alternatively, somehow Roose Bolton takes Ramsey's role here (though the logistics of getting him from Harrenhal to Winterfell and back are... difficult to say the least).

Reeds - Bran/Osha/Rickon meet up with them after they escape Winterfell, then they split up and things continue as in Book 3.

Alternatively, Osha accompanies Bran to the wall and takes on some of Jojen's special powers.

I personally wish that they would have kept the Reeds...

[Gingerly Grumkin]

Well the Reeds got a dad who is gonna do something later, and Meera is the love interest of Bran the Broken, but i suppose you can get around that. However no Reek and Ramsey i dont/wont/cant belive, first of all he is like the coolest character, and then it also makes Theon look less like a dick, but in the show he does look like a dick already, as opposed to book 1 where he never talked...

[I hate Dorn]

Wait.....some of you guys really believe they're leaving out the Reeds and Ramsay Bolton?

That's impossible. Of course they'll be there

[Padraig]

That's impossible. Of course they'll be there

Sorry. They aren't in S2 but its still very possible that they will be in later seasons. So keep the faith!

Reek - They have Theon take Winterfell solo (without Reek's help) at the end of S2, and then have Reek/Ramsey show up in S3 to take it back.

Just to nitpick here.

Theon takes Winterfell without Reek's help in aCoK. It's only afterwards that Reek starts to help him. I think they could send Roose North without too much difficulty. The problem is more that he has to go South again to meet Jaime and that's where I begin to dislike that theory. I think we will see all of the Theon arc from aCoK, so they may just use an undefined Bolton general instead.

[Ramsay's Third Nipple]

More or less they're all what I pictured. Podrick being younger, of course.

Ygritte is hotter than what I pictured, I pictured her more... awkward. Melisandre is more or less spot on. But I was particularly impressed with how much Davos' actor looks like him. Great appearance casting, but how they act is an entirely different thing all together.

[WenchofTarth]

Reek - They have Theon take Winterfell solo (without Reek's help) at the end of S2, and then have Reek/Ramsey show up in S3 to take it back.

Alternatively, somehow Roose Bolton takes Ramsey's role here (though the logistics of getting him from Harrenhal to Winterfell and back are... difficult to say the least).

Reeds - Bran/Osha/Rickon meet up with them after they escape Winterfell, then they split up and things continue as in Book 3.

Alternatively, Osha accompanies Bran to the wall and takes on some of Jojen's special powers.

I personally wish that they would have kept the Reeds...

So you think we'll be pushing some of the closing scenes of CoK into season 3?

I can handle it if they push the entry of the Reeds to later in the show but I realy hope they won't be cut completely, they play too big a part to try and cut them.

I suppose the Dreadfort men could just come upon Winterfell without needing Reek/Ramsey going out to get them himself thus not needing his character...

[rezor]

Margaery, perfect. But Stannis and Davos are completely opposite to how I'd imagined and what on earth with Brienne?? She looks attractive here. Shame, HBO! But that goes to further prove my point that the producers intend shipping galore for Brienne and Jamie.

[Phat Walda]

I have to say that just about every one of these people was spot on for what I pictured...except for Brienne. Of course. Because ZOMG WE CAN'T CAST A GIRL THAT'S ACTUALLY UGLY WE WILL JUST PRETEND THIS PRETTY GIRL IS UGLY KTHX.

[Padraig]

Because ZOMG WE CAN'T CAST A GIRL THAT'S ACTUALLY UGLY WE WILL JUST PRETEND THIS PRETTY GIRL IS UGLY KTHX.

How many ugly 6 foot 3 inch actresses do you know? You'd have preferred a 5 foot 6 ugly actress I suppose...

What on earth with Brienne?? She looks attractive here.

Huh? Have you seen her picture from the teasers?

[Peasant Rebel Leader]

Regarding Brienne, the cast photos that HBO just released, which are in characater, disprove your fears quite thoroughly. Just because an actors pic shows her beauty, doesn't mean they can't adapt to the requirements of the show. (see the News Site, the gallery or nicely assembled over at winteriscoming.net - main page).

Of course, she is "Hollywood Ugly" (see tvtropes.org), but I think I am quite content with how Brienne looks.

[WenchofTarth]

Regarding Brienne, the cast photos that HBO just released, which are in characater, disprove your fears quite thoroughly. Just because an actors pic shows her beauty, doesn't mean they can't adapt to the requirements of the show. (see the News Site, the gallery or nicely assembled over at winteriscoming.net - main page).

Of course, she is "Hollywood Ugly" (see tvtropes.org), but I think I am quite content with how Brienne looks.

lol, went to winteriscoming.net and I wouldn't even call that "hollywood ugly", that is pretty unattractive imo. I was a bit worried she'd be a bit too pretty but they did a good job with her appearance.

[Erykion Skyblade]

Sorry. They aren't in S2 but its still very possible that they will be in later seasons. So keep the faith!

No offense, but I haven't seen a single official announcement about either the Reeds or Ramsay having been cut. If I've missed it, could you provide a link, please?

Because the fact that they haven't been announced yet doesn't have to mean anything. Why introduce all the new characters in the media beforehand and leave no surprises left for the viewers? I mean, have we seen casting announcements for other characters? What about Rorge, Biter or Vargo Hoat, for example?

I think they're all quite crucial:

I believe the Reeds will be necessary to provide both a plausible reason for Bran to head north as well an eventual connection to Howland Reed, who could prove to be a crucial character in the books. And if there's no Ramsay, then I believe Theon's story won't have a satisfying ending, as much of the drama depends on Theon's attempt to take Winterfell backfiring completely on him, which (as far as newcomers to the story are concerned) may have resulted in his death - a cliffhanger too effective for the writers to ignore. Along with the conclusion of the Battle of the Blackwater, it's almost a necessity to provide as powerful an ending to the season as the previous.

[slayer420]

You should all check the not a blog on GRRM's site, He has put up pics of the cast in costume. Briannie looks pretty ugly to me.

[Padraig]

Because the fact that they haven't been announced yet doesn't have to mean anything.

It very likely does mean something though. If you prefer to believe they still may appear, fair enough. Don't say you weren't warned though. :)

The people on these boards are all familar with the story. There is no point surprisingly us about who will appear. We already have read the books. So unless you think they want to annoy us by pretending that some people aren't cast when they have been then its not very logical to hide any casting. They never did that for S1 and I doubt they'll start now.

Never mind that these things can't remain hidden. Somebody will spot that an actor's CV will include GoT. Or some extra will mention that they saw the Reeds introduced today.

Vargo Hoat probably wasn't cast either. Rorge and Biter were in the last episode of S1, so were always going to appear (although I think at least one was recast).