New Game of Thrones season 8 characters hint at the return of a once great House

Game of Thrones season 8 was looking a little thin on the ground in terms of characters. Everyone you know and love is probably dead – or a White Walker – so it only makes sense for a blizzard of brand-new faces to drop into Westeros as the show nears its end. And there’s one character in particular that could have major repercussions for the show’s political landscape…

As reported by Watchers on the Wall, half-a-dozen new names have been linked to appearing in the show. The most important one, by far, comes in the form of actress Danielle Galligan. Her role is listed only as ‘Sarra’ but, if you’re a Thrones book fanatic, your ears might be pricking up right about now. There’s a Sarra in the books: Sarra Frey.

The male side of the Freys have been wiped out by Arya but many relatives still remain. Interestingly enough, Galligan (according to her agency’s website) is trained in minor weapon combat. Could she be trying to get revenge for Walder Frey?

Galligan was snapped alongside actress Emer McDaid on Instagram, apparently wrapping up filming in Belfast, where Thrones does a lot of its shooting. McDaid’s agency announced that her and four other actors (Thomas Finnegan, Conor Maguire, Eileen McCloskey, and Katie Tumelty) will “join the cast of a major TV series.” Seeing as how McDaid has already been in and around Belfast, you can take two guesses as to what major TV series they’re talking about…

While having them “join the cast” sounds like they’ll have meaty roles, that’s unlikely to be the case. It’s far more feasible for them to have one-off scenes alongside some more familiar Thrones names – especially as we’re running out of people to kill off. I mean, Jon Snow’s already been killed off once.

Image: HBO

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.