game of thrones harry strickland

Even though we will most likely not see a single episode of ‘Game of Thrones‘ Season 8 until early 2019, that does not mean we will not be getting updates, news, theories, and rumors until the very moment the final season premieres. Case in point, after recent announcements of a good number of Season 8 roles that the show was looking to hire actors for, we now have our first role cast!

According to the Watchers On the Wall website, actor Marc Rissmann has been cast as Harry Strickland for Season 8, a character that book fans will recognize as the leader of the mercenary company known as the Golden Army. The news comes from Rissman’s Spotlight CV and his agency, and while the spotlight entry has been recently taken down (most likely at the request of the ‘Game of Thrones’ folks), the Watchers on The Wall sight still managed to grab a screenshot which confirms the news.

Marc Rissmann 2

So who is Harry Strickland? For those who read the books or have been paying attention to Cersei’s storyline in Season 7, Harry Strickland leads the Golden Company, a mercenary group from Essos who have been around for quite some time, and who are considered quite capable, enough so to rival even Dani and her army. At one point in the series, Sir Davos suggested Stannis Baratheon hire the Golden Company to fight for him (which Stannis refused due to “honor”) but that should give you some indication of their skill level, that and the fact that Jorah Mormont himself was once a member of that army. Harry Strickland is their leader at the moment, and for the sake of Season 8 (in which they are claiming he will appear in 2 episodes), will most likely be taking his forces to Westeros and fighting in battles either against the armies of Dani and Jon Snow, or (hopefully) against the Night King, though I suspect the latter is more likely because of Cersei’s selfishness.

What do you think of the casting news? Are you excited to see another book character brought into the series, even if it is just for a small role? Share your thoughts below!