This has me mixed. You see, Nikolaj is one of the most beautiful men ever to be created and subsequently put on American TV. (I liked New Amsterdam a lot, but it got axed quickly, and I wasn't sure if I liked Virtuality, but that got axed quicker.) Jamie Lannister is pretty, but fairly reprehensible, at least until the third volume or so. Still, I'm hardcore in love with Nikolaj, so this seems to me like the best casting feat the series has pulled off so far.
In the role of Daenarys, the exiled dragon princess, is Tamzin Merchant from The Tudors. Don't watch that crapfest, so not aware of her abilities, but she looks ok for the part (Dany is 13, despite all her feats, sexual and otherwise.)
As Robb Stark, the dutiful son and eventual King in the North, we have a British actor named Richard Madden, a veteran of the stage and most recently seen in Hope Springs (a comedy starring Alex Kingston.) Looks pretty appropriate to me. And if he can do Romeo, he shouldn't have any trouble with Robb (let's just hope he didn't read the third installment before he signed on for the role.)
Bigtime acting vet Iain Glen takes the role of Ser Jorah Mormount, Dany's trusted ally and protector, and exiled knight of Westeros. Will possibly be a bit weird to watch him fall in love with the 13 year old girl.
Someone named Alfie Allen will be Theon Greyjoy. (If you google Allen you'll find lots of nudey shots...guess he must've done Equus.) His smile seems cocky and semi-evil enough, though I pictured Greyjoy darker. No matter; the Ironmen are the least interesting storyline in my opinion.
The heart of the story, however, is in the Stark sisters, Arya and Sansa (particularly Arya.) The girls casted in those roles are named Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, but are unknown and therefore un-google-able. However, George R.R. Martin himself has a couple tiny pics of them, so I'll just link you over there.
All-in-all, production seems to be progressing swiftly, with shooting to start in a month or so in Ireland, and most of the casting completed. The greatest moves so far have been Jennifer Ehle and Nikolaj Coster Waldau, with Sean Bean sure to be a draw. They intend to do all seven installments of the book in seven seasons (though only four books have been written/released), with Martin himself writing at least one episode a season. I applaud their diligence, but I have doubts that it'll last that long. I myself am reading the fourth book now, and losing interest faster than Rush Limbaugh lost weight.
Still the first two are pretty meaty, so originally it should be fun. Plus, if I haven't mentioned. Nikolaj Coster Waldau is going to be on the show, and he's, like, the dreamiest guy ever.
For more casting news and commentary check out the Jennifer Ehle blog. (She was cast as Lady Catelyn.)
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