Pycelle recast
George R. R. Martin has some sad news over at his Not A Blog. Roy Dotrice has had to drop out of Game of Thrones due to health reasons.
It saddens me to announce that we’ve had a casting change on the HBO series.
My old friend Roy Dotrice, who had been scheduled to play the part of Grand Maester Pycelle, has had to withdraw from the show for medical reasons.
In his place HBO has cast British actor Julian Glover. Here is what GRRM has to say about him.
Glover has a list of credits in stage, screen, and television that’s just as long as that of Dotrice. The two of them have worked together, in fact — when I mentioned him to Roy, he responded that Glover was “my old mate from the Royal Shakespeare Company.”
Our new Pycelle will be no stranger to fans of SF and fantasy. He was an Imperial officer in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and he’s appeared in DOCTOR WHO, TROY, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, and even SPACE: 1999, among countless other films and television shows. More recently, he’s been seen in THE YOUNG VICTORIA and in the forthcoming PRINCESS KAUILANI (with the lovely Tamzin Merchant).
Roy Dotrice will be missed, but Julian Glover will make Pycelle his own, we have no doubt. Last I heard, he was already in Belfast, being fitted for a long white beard.
Winter Is Coming: A real shame about Roy Dotrice. He was a fan favorite and I know many people were looking forward to his involvement in the series. As GRRM says, hopefully they will be able to find a role for him later on. Of course, all of us at WiC wish him a speedy recovery.
As to Glover, he seems like a solid choice for a replacement. I’m certain he will be able to pull off the role. Plus, now Thrones has its Star Wars connection!
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