The great Ian McShane will be making his Game of Thrones debut in the upcoming Season 6 this April, and although HBO hasn't released any details about his character, the British actor just dropped some spoilery details about his character, essentially confirming a popular fan theory that has been a subject of much discussion among readers of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Warning: Possible spoilers from Game of Thrones Season 6 ahead.
McShane was a guest on BBC Breakfast, where he was interviewed about his top secret role in HBO's Emmy-Award-winning epic fantasy series. Although he's reluctant about sharing details, he dropped too much about his character and a return of someone fans thought was dead:
My character is an ex-warrior who has become a peacenik. So I have this group of peaceful…sort of a cult, a peaceful tribe. I bring back a much loved character who everyone thinks is dead. I'll leave it at that.
In A Feast For Crows, the fourth book in Martin's series, Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne come across a community on the isolated Quiet Isle. There, they meet a former knight turned healer and religious leader called "The Elder Brother", who runs a community of monks, all of whom have taken a vow of silence. That sounds like the character McShane was describing.
Although not confirmed, it's heavily implied that one of the hooded, silent monks is actually Sandor Clegane, better known as the Hound. In the book he's descried as six feet tall, walks like he's recovering from a major injury, and spits whenever anyone mentions knights. The theory speculates that the Elder Brother found the Hound as he was dying, saved his life, and offered him a second chance to live.
This is just a fan theory for now, but all the details McShane dropped seem to align well with the characters described in the book. It would be nice to see Rory McCann return to the show. And if the Hound returns, I hope he'll reunite with Arya.
McShane was recently cast to play Mr. Wednesday in Starz's adaptation of American Gods.
Game of Thrones Season 6 will premiere on April 24, 2016.
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