Game of Thrones is bringing in two new characters (at least) for Season 8, and already it raises the question of how these two will fit into the HBO juggernaut's final batch of episodes. Strangely enough, the two castings calls are for roles we didn't see very often in Westeros' last season, children. Here is the latest on the casting notice reportedly being sent out, and how the characters described might fit into the final leg of Game of Thrones' epic run.
The first casting, according to Watchers On The Wall, calls for a young "Northern Girl," around the age of 8, but anyone up to the age of 10 would be considered. The character description for said girl calls for a straight-talking Northerner with an accent who is lauded for both her bravery and integrity. Given characters like Arya Stark and Lyanna Mormont, that seems pretty par for the course for females living in the North. But this character, in particular, gets her traits from being raised alongside a family of soldiers for a majority of her relatively short life.
As for who this young girl may be, it's possible she's more of a throwaway character who has a moment of bravery before her house falls to the White Walkers in their invasion of Westeros. There's also a chance that, with Bran deep-diving into the past, this character could be a younger version of Lyanna Stark. While plausible, one would have to wonder what event happened in their childhood that would be worth calling back to with so few episodes left in the show. In either case, this role does sound like something worth keeping an eye on as more news on Season 8 inevitably goes public, despite the Game of Thrones crew's best efforts.
The second casting calls for a "Boy" aged 8-12 who is both physically fit and agile. While the first casting notice sounded a bit ambiguous regarding the character's importance, this Game of Thrones casting call specifically requested an actor who will "own the scenes that he appears in." The only other description for the young male is that he comes from a poor background and has to fight to survive in this world, which really makes one wonder what exactly this character is about.
Once again, given that there are only so many episodes left to conclude this story, a new child character who "owns scenes he's in" sounds like someone that would bulk up the plotline. It's being speculated that this could also be a younger version of a current character to be used for flashback scenes. Not many characters remaining come from poor backgrounds, save Varys, who, since the beginning, has operated of the interests of the realm above all else. Perhaps the series is looking to go back to the fateful moment when he lost his genitals, to show us exactly what he heard from that fire? That could just be wishful thinking from the fanbase, since it's not as though casting calls are to be treated as gospel truth.
Season 8 of Game of Thrones still has yet to get an official release date, but it's possible 2019 could be the latest we see it. Let us know what you think these characters are about, and check out our list of where a chunk of Game of Thrones' stars can be seen in the between-seasons interim, or visit our fall premiere guide for more great television.
