Gal Godot Confirmed as Wonder Woman

Gal Gadot has been confirmed for the role of Wonder Woman in the yet untitled 'Batman vs. Superman' movie, reports Variety.  From the article, director Zack Snyder states:

Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character

This confirms previous rumors that she was up for the part along with Olga Kurylenko.  Gadot had previously appeared in 'The Fast and the Furious 6'and 'Fast Five'.

Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman

While she wouldn't have been my personal first choice, I'm sure Gadot will step into the role.  She certainly has the looks (she was Miss Israel in 2004), she'll just need to add more muscle to her frame. My only concern at this point is overcrowding of heroes in the film.  But, I'll reserve judgement until we see the finished product.

The film is scheduled to release July 17, 2015.

Game of Thrones Season 3 Casting Choices Announced

Emilia Clarke and Rose Leslie at the Game of Thrones Comic Con Panel

Several new casting choices for HBO's Games of Thrones were announced at Comic Con on Friday.  These choices will appear in season 3 of the show, which is currently shooting, and will begin on March 13, 2013.  Some of the bigger characters cast were The Queen of Thorns, The Blackfish, Meera and Jojen Reed, and Beric Dondarrion.

The biggest name out of the new cast is Diana Rigg, who will be playing Olenna Redwyne, the Queen of Thorns and matriarch of the House Tyrell.  Rigg is best known for playing Emma Peel in the British 60's TV series 'The Avengers' (not to be confused with the Marvel comic).  She seems a good choice for the role, which will require the portrayal of sharp wit and cunning.

Rigg today

Rigg in her 'Avengers' days. Yowza

Another recognizable name is Mackenzie Crook, who will be playing the role of Orell, the eagle-skinchanging wildling.  You probably know him better as Gareth from the UK 'The Office'.  He also played in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.  Seems a good choice for the wildling look.

What are you looking at?

Clive Russell will The Blackfish, Bryndon Tully, well-known knight and loving uncle of Cat Stark.  Russell is an experienced actor who has recently played in the Sherlock Holmes films.  He was also in the Antonio Banderas movie 'The 13th Warrior', which I loved.  That always seemed like an underrated gem.  He should wear the role well.

a gruff, scruff Clive Russell

Thoros of Myr, the red priest, will be played by Paul Kaye.  Flaming sword and all.  Think a less serious, male version of Melissandre.

Paul Kaye

Going along with Thoros, is Beric Dondarrion, the Lightning Lord.  Like the energizer bunny he keeps going, and going, and going... He will be played by Richard Dormer (No relation to Natalie Dormer, who currently plays Margery Tyrell).  Always likes this character.

Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion

The Reed siblings will play a large role in Bran's development, so their casting choices are key.  Meera Reed will be played by Ellie Kendrick.  She has played in 'Upstairs Downstairs' and the BBC miniseries 'The Diary of Anne Frank'.  I like this choice.  My only real gripe is that she doesn't have green eyes, one of the key features of the Reeds.

Ellie Kendrick

Jojen Reed, the character who teaches Bran about greenseeing, will be played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster.  You probably know him as the little boy in the movies 'Love Actually' and 'Nanny McPhee'.  He's a bit older now, and should play off of Bran well in the mentor role.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

All in all a good job casting the roles.  The production staff hasn't really let me down yet as most of the actors chosen for their respective roles so far have been fantastic.

Now all I have to do is wait 8 months for some new episodes :(

Game of Thrones: Season 2 Casting

Season 2 of Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George RR Martin, premieres on April 1 on HBO.  One of the hallmarks of the books has been the introduction of new characters.  Following that trend, season 2 of the show will introduce some major characters central to the plot.

The production staff did a very nice job with the casting for the first season.  It seems like they've done it again here with the new cast members.

Here are Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre

Stannis is played by Stephen Dillane, who played Thomas Jefferson on the HBO miniseries 'John Adams'.  Melisandre is played by Carice van Houten.  She is somewhat less well-known.  However, she was in the underrated movie 'Black Death' with none other than Ned Stark himself, Sean Bean.  I believe that movie is still available on Netflix instant for those interested.  I think both of these choices work well.  Van Houten was good as a pseudo-witch in 'Black Death', so she should have no problem with Melisandre.  Dillane is a superb actor and was great in 'John Adams'.  Part of me wishes the actor for Stannis would have been a little more imposing, but I'm sure Dillane won't disappoint. 

Davos Seaworth is being played by Liam Cunningham

Davos Seawoth

Cunningham is an Irish actor, maybe best known for his role in the remake of 'Clash of the Titans'.  He's no stranger to the genre however, as he has had roles in the movie 'Centurion' and the tv series 'Camelot'.  He doesn't quite fit the picture I had in my mind's eye, but I've liked him in past roles.

The big contentious role as far as casting goes, has been the choice for Brienne of Tarth.  The production crew needed a tall, muscularly-built woman with a face that could be made up to be ugly on tv.

Brienne of Tarth

The result was actress/model Gwendoline Christie.  The actress stands 6 foot 3 inches tall.  She had a supporting role in the film 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus', but isn't as experienced as her fellow new cast members.  I think her physical profile matches up very well for the role. (Jamie Lannister actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stands 6'2)

All in all I love the choices and can't wait for the new season.

As a bonus, and because I've been to and love the city of Dubrovnik, here's a video about season 2's production in Croatia.  The showrunners have decided to use Old Town Dubrovnik as the setting for King's Landing.  I love the choice.  You'll see why in the video.