*Minor spoilers lie ahead*

According to Variety,   Deadwood alum, Ian McShane has landed a role in Game of Thrones‘ upcoming sixth season. 

As of right now, details about the role are under lock and key, though production of the next season is already well underway. 

The impending season is a mystery all on its own. Last season’s devastating finale in which Jon Snow is brutally slain marks the end of George RR Martin’s source material. The sixth season will be independent of the books for the first time since the series’ inception. 

I’ve never watched Deadwood myself, but I did recently the Starz miniseries, The Pillars of the Earth, in which McShane played a corrupt bishop during the English time known as “The Anarchy.” The series also starred Donald Sutherland, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell, Sam Claflan and a slew of other talented actors. McShane was the standout, though; by a landslide. 

EW sources have stated that, “McShane has a relatively small amount of screen-time during the season, yet his character is of key importance.” 

Despite the anxiety that follows a season of Game of Thrones that does not have GRRM’s brilliant material to fall back on, the mystery surrounding it and this exciting casting will very likely ensure we’ll all be tuning in next Spring; whether we swore it off as we wept for Jon Snow or not.