'Wire' Alum Aidan Gillen Joins HBO's 'Game of Thrones'

And another cast member of 'The Wire' gets a new TV gig this week: Following the news that 'Wire' alum Andre Royo will guest on the season premiere of 'Fringe,' The Hollywood Reporter is revealing that Aidan Gillen will join the cast of HBO's upcoming fantasy series 'Game of Thrones.'
Irish actor Gillen, who played Tommy Carcetti, the ambitious politician who rose from city councilman to governor of Maryland during his run on 'The Wire,' has signed on to play Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in 'Game of Thrones,' the fantasy series that's adapted from George R.R. Martin's internationally popular novel. The scheming character is known as a bright, extremely ambitious member of the Small Council, King Robert's advisors, so the role isn't a far cry from Gillen's 'Wire' alter ego.

The actor, who also starred in the original British version of 'Queer as Folk,' is currently starring in the Irish TV drama 'Identity,' and will star in another Irish TV drama, 'Love/Hate,' in the fall, and stars with Jason Statham in the upcoming big-screen thriller 'Blitz.'

As for 'Thrones,' production for the series is scheduled to start in Belfast later this month. The pilot was directed by another alum of 'The Wire,' Thomas McCarthy. The actor/writer/director played season five journalist Scott Templeton, the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair/Janet Cooke-ish character who made up several high-profile stories, and, while honest co-workers were laid off after questioning him, nabbed a Pulitzer Prize for his fabulist work.

Meanwhile, the network may have to re-shoot most of the pilot, after a round of casting changes were made. Among the current cast, in addition to Gillen:

- Peter Dinklage will play Tyrion Lannister

- Michelle Fairley has replaced Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark

- Sean Bean will play Ned Stark

- Mark Addy stars as Robert Baratheon

- Lena Headey will play Cersei Lannister

- And Jason Momoa has signed on to play Khal Drogo

HBO plans to have 'Game of Thrones,' which one of the series' producers has jokingly called "'The Sopranos' in Middle-earth," on the air next spring.