ONTD

Game of Thrones is no stranger to crossing over with modern music – during season 2, the show arranged for the indie rock band The National to record a cover of the Lannister drinking song/revenge anthem “The Rains of Castamere.” That melancholy ditty played over the credits of the season’s penultimate episode, “Blackwater.” The song served as a dour exclamation point to a breathtaking hour of television, as well as a reminder to the audience that in spite of its feudal setting, Game of Thrones is a thoroughly modern creature.

Now it appears that the Thrones showrunners are taking this kind of pop-musical connection a step further: The show recently announced that it has cast Will Champion – drummer for the band Coldplay – in an unnamed cameo role.

According to a report from E! Online, Will Champion has signed on for a brief appearance in season 3 of Game of Thrones. Though the show’s producers are being cagey about his exact role, it has been confirmed that he will play (surprise!) a drummer (OMG). Whether this means he will actually be playing music or if he’ll simply be a battle drummer standing in the background is yet unknown.

Champion is not the first popular musician to be cast in Game of Thrones. The announcement of his involvement follows the revelation that Gary Lightbody, the lead singer of band Snow Patrol, will also appear in a minor role during the next season. Lightbody tweeted a photo of himself in Thrones-appropriate costuming earlier in the year.

Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody in ‘Game of Thrones’ costume.

Taken on its own, the news that a famous drummer will make a cameo in a well-loved television show is amusing, but forgettable. However, I have a theory about his (and maybe even Gary Lightbody’s) role. Rumors about the narrative arc of season 3 have suggested that it will end with one of the source books’ most shocking incidents … which happens to involve a band and its ominously competent drummer. What if Game of Thrones is going to feature noted rock personalities in one of its most infamous sequences? I certainly hope so. If I’m correct, it may mean that we could see Champion and Lightbody with crossbows in their hands in the near future.

Game of Thrones marches back onto television screens March 31st, 2013.

Sourcery