HBO has added more cast members to Season 2 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but one of the new additions is already drawing attention from fans of George R.R. Martin’s source material.
Lucy Boynton, Babou Ceesay, and Peter Mullan have joined the Game of Thrones universe series. Boynton will play Lady Rohanne, Ceesay has been cast as Ser Bennis of the Brown Shield, and Mullan will portray Ser Eustace Osgrey.
The casting of Ceesay as Ser Bennis marks a race-swap from the original character as described in Martin’s stories and graphic novel adaptations.
Ser Bennis Race-Swapped From George R.R. Martin’s Story
Ser Bennis appears in The Sworn Sword, one of the Dunk and Egg stories written by George R.R. Martin that serve as the basis for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
In the books, the character is described as a dirty and unpleasant hedge knight nicknamed “Bennis the Brown.” The nickname refers to his unwashed appearance rather than his skin color.
A description reads: “Bennis the Brown seldom washed. He was about five and a half feet tall, and weighed about eighty pounds less than Duncan the Tall. Bennis’s rotten teeth were stained red and brown from eating sourleaf. His eyes were small, close-set and green.”
The description emphasizes that the “brown” nickname comes from his filthy appearance, sun-beaten skin, and the plain brown surcoat he wears.
The graphic novel adaptation of The Sworn Sword also depicts Ser Bennis as a white character.
New Cast Members Join Season 2
The upcoming season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, set roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
Lucy Boynton will portray Lady Rohanne, a key character in the story surrounding House Osgrey and the Red Widow of Coldmoat.
Babou Ceesay, known for Alien: Earth and Damilola, Our Loved Boy, takes on the role of Ser Bennis, the hedge knight who becomes entangled in the conflicts between local houses.
Peter Mullan, known for Ozark and I Swear, will play Ser Eustace Osgrey, a once-proud knight struggling to hold onto the last remnants of his house’s honor.
About A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, which follow the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and the young prince Aegon Targaryen long before the events of Game of Thrones.
The series takes place during the Targaryen dynasty when dragons are still remembered and political tensions continue to simmer across Westeros.
Season 1 of the show is expected to adapt the first novella, The Hedge Knight, with later seasons covering The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight.
