Helen Sloan/HBOWinter is coming on March 31, 2013! It might be a painfully long wait until season three of Game of Thrones, but fortunately, some great casting scoop for the upcoming season was revealed at Comic-Con.
A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R.R. Martin was joined by the cast and introduced some new brand-new characters we'll meet in season three. But if you think all these new characters mean only rainbows and puppies for our current favorites, then you're obviously not watching the same show we are.
"We were already the biggest cast in television and we have just grown bigger—so clearly I need to start killing characters more quickly to make room for the new ones!" Martin jokes. Oh GRRM, that would be funny if we thought it wasn't true.
Let's not worry about who'll kick the bucket, let's think about the new people coming to Westeros! Here are some of the folks we are most looking forward to meeting:
Lady Olenna Tyrell: Diana Rigg will be playing the the Queen of Thorns and grandmother of Margaery and Loras Tyrell.
Bryndon Tully: Clive Russell will play the Blackfish, a famous knight and the uncle of Catelyn Stark.
Jojen Reed: Former Nanny McPhee star Thomas Brodie-Sangster joins as a mysterious boy who becomes an important ally to Bran Stark.
Beric Dondarrion: Richard Dormer plays the leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of vigilante outlaws.
Tormund Giantsbane: Kristofer Hivju is playing famed wildling warrior and chief lieutenant to the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder.
But that's not all! Check out this clip from HBO to meet all 14 new faces in season three.
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Already started your countdown clock for season three? Excited for Diana Rigg to join the cast? Sound off in the comments!