Max Von Sydow has joined the cast of Game of Thrones

By Rick Marshall August 4, 2015

max von sydow game of thrones extremely loud incredibly close — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ian McShane isn’t the only well-known actor joining the cast of Game of Thrones next season. He’ll now be joined by veteran actor Max von Sydow in the upcoming sixth season of the hit HBO series.

The Oscar-nominated actor, whose career spans more than 65 years of on-screen roles, will play the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran Stark’s mystical tutor in the series, according to EW. The character was briefly seen in an earlier episode of the series, played by a different actor.

Like McShane, Sydow isn’t expected to have a lot of screen time this season, but the roles played by both actors (McShane’s character hasn’t been identified at this point) are said to be key characters in the sixth season’s storyline. Given that the last season brought the television series more or less up to date with George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels — the inspiration for the series — the upcoming season is expected to blaze a new trail for many of the characters.

An actor with more than 150 credited roles on his résumé, von Sydow is probably best known to cinephiles for his performances in 1973’s The Exorcist, 1980’s live-action Flash Gordon movie, 2002’s sci-fi adventure Minority Report, or his portrayal of knight Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film The Seventh Seal (the first of 11 collaborations with Bergman). Von Sydow has been nominated for two Academy Awards, first for his portrayal of Lassefar in the 1987 film Pelle the Conqueror, and then again as “the renter” in the 2012 movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (pictured above).

Sydow will also appear in the upcoming Star Wars sequel Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.

The sixth season of Game of Thrones is already in production, with an expected premiere date in spring 2016. Earlier this week, HBO’s president of programming confirmed that the network is planning for at least eight seasons of the series, with additional seasons — and a potential prequel — possible if it makes sense for the network and creative team.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

7 most underrated Game of Thrones episodes ever

A woman stands across from a man in Game of Thrones.

Can you believe it's been four years since Game of Thrones concluded its legendary run? While we won't speak about the final season, Game of Thrones remains one of television's most successful shows, with a record 59 Primetime Emmy Awards. Game of Thrones was a "can't-miss" television show, meaning the audience had to tune into the live airing of an episode or risk seeing spoilers on the internet. In the social media age of television, it's rare for a show to have as much power and influence on pop culture as it did.

A select group is unequivocally regarded as the best episodes of Game of Thrones, including Blackwater, Hardhome, The Rains of Castamere (more commonly known as The Red Wedding episode), and The Winds of Winter. For this list, however, we selected the seven most underrated Game of Thrones episodes ever.
Lord Snow

Entertainment

The Red Wedding at 10: How the groundbreaking episode changed Game of Thrones forever

Robb Stark's body with his direwolf's head in Game of Thrones.

The so-called Golden Age of Television reached its undeniable zenith during the 2010s. Shows like Mad Men, Veep, Breaking Bad, and Stranger Things took TV to new and exciting levels of visual and narrative quality. However, no show had more influence or acclaim throughout the 2010s than Game of Thrones. The HBO juggernaut became synonymous with prestige television, delivering a perfect mix of political intrigue, high fantasy, and sex that became irresistible for critics and audiences.

Game of Thrones wasn't an instant success; it was only in season 3 that the show became the must-see show on television. Two events helped the show achieve this elusive reputation. The first was Daenerys' sacking of Astapor in the fourth episode, And Now His Watch Has Ended. The second is, of course, the Red Wedding. The episode it was featured in, The Rains of Castamere, changed the series' course, altering the fate of multiple characters and radically shifting the power balance between the noble houses of Westeros. The groundbreaking episode showcased Game of Thrones operating at full strength, and, as a result, allowed audiences to truly understand what kind of show they were watching.
Game of Thrones sends its regards

Audio / Video

Max not working? Why the HBO Max successor’s launch has been wonky

HBO Max app icon.

Today's a big day for the new Max streaming service. After months of fanfare from execs, the combined HBO Max/Discovery streaming service has launched. But despite all the talk of a better tech platform (which might well be true!) and all the new content (which definitely is true), Max is not working for some. Or the idea of having to download a new app is awkward and annoying at best.

Here's what you need to know about the whole transition.
Why isn't Max working?
There are a few things that could be a play here, but there's one obvious one: Unlike HBO Max, the new Max service is only available in the U.S., including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.