Insane secrecy be darned – Game of Thrones can’t conceal every new addition to the series. So it is that an Into the Badlands star has joined the eighth and final season in a Golden role that might just quash a certain theory fans have been pushing.

Watchers on the Wall confirmed German actor Marc Rissmann (Into the Badlands, The Last Kingdom) has joined Season 8 in the first notably new role of Harry Strickland (yes, it’s a Game of Thrones name), leader of the same Golden Company that Euron was sent to fetch in the finale. Strickland marks the first active member of the sellsword organization we’ll meet, as Jorah claimed to have fought for them in the past.

Here’s the original character description that WOTW surmised to be Strickland:

Mercenary, aged 35 – 50. He’s described as an authoritative, fit, cool and charismatic military type. He’ll be appearing in 2 episodes of season 8. The role requires he be able to ride a horse.

There are a few things to unpack here, as the book Harry Strickland was identified as older, balding, and far less revered as a military leader than that casting would suggest. His role in two of six episodes might also clue us into how much story commitment Season 8 actually has to the Golden Company, while Vanity Fair notes that Rissmann’s casting likely debunks a fan theory that Daario Naharis will resurface leading an army against Daenerys.

We’ll have plenty more casting and details to speculate on in the coming months, so stay tuned for the latest on Game of Thrones Season 8.

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