Deadwood star Ian McShane is to join the cast of HBO’s Game of Thrones for season six, it has been reported.
McShane is best known for his Golden Globe-winning role playing brothel owner Al Swearengen in HBO’s western drama Deadwood.
He has also had roles in movies including Kung Fu Panda, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as well as a recent part in Showtime TV series Ray Donovan.
It is not known which character McShane will play, but Entertainment Weekly, which broke the story, said “sources say McShane has a relatively small amount of screen time during the season, yet his character is of key importance”.
Last week, an HBO executive said the show is likely to continue for another three seasons.
Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, said he would also be open to a prequel to the story of the epic battle for the Iron Throne in the fictional kingdom of Westeros, based on George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books.
He also defended its graphic depictions of rape and violence as part of the story and said he supported show the show’s creators, Dan Weiss and David Benioff.
“This show has had violence as part of its many threads from first episode,” he said. “There are no two showrunners more careful about not overstepping what they think the line is.“
