A decade on from Deadwood, Ian McShane is returning to HBO for another turn in a flagship show. He's joining the cast of Game Of Thrones' sixth season, in an as-yet unspecified but apparently significant role.
Thrones is now entering particularly mysterious territory. The series has – controversially for some – already made some significant changes from George R.R. Martin's novels in the process of adaptation. But the next series will be the first to move beyond Martin's books completely.
So McShane could be playing a completely new character we haven't yet met at all in the source. Internet scuttlebut, however – and remember this is just gossip – has him pegged as Randyll Tarly, the stern father of Sam (John Bradley). Tarly is supposed to have been the only man to ever defeat Robert Baratheon, and, in the books, throws his weight behind the beleaguered House Tyrell.
Again, that has not been confirmed by HBO, and the only thing EW's secret sources have turned up is that McShane's role will be of "key importance" despite not having a huge amount of screen time.
Game Of Thrones Season 6 is aiming for a Spring 2016 release, and starts shooting soon. For a bit more chat, have a look at our report from last month's Comic-Con panel.