A staunch Keisha Castle-Hughes appears as Obara in Game of Thrones.
A staunch Keisha Castle-Hughes appears as Obara in Game of Thrones.
The first official photos of Game of Thrones' Sand Snakes - including Kiwi actress Keisha Castle-Hughes - have been unveiled.
The latest Thrones sneak peak has revealed three of Prince Oberyn's vengeful daughters, the tenacious Obara, the devious Tyene and the beautiful Nymeria.
The set of stills focus on the southern kingdom of Dorne, where the brother of the late Oberyn Martell rules, and the elder of his eight bastard daughters want revenge against the Iron Throne for the death of the father at the hands of The Mountain Who Rides, Ser Gregor Clegane.
They show Obara, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, the eldest of Oberyn's daughters, a formidable warrior whose skills with a spear are comparable with her fathers.
Nymeria (Jessica Henwick), who shares an name with Arya Stark's direwolf, is the second eldest Sand Snake, whom fans have already seen brandishing a whip with deadly accuracy in the previously released trailer for season five, wears a revealing desert garb with her long black braid over her shoulder.
Nymeria from Game of Thrones.
Tyene meanwhile, played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, who is seen brandishing twin daggers, appears to show the biggest departure from her book character, who is fair-skinned, blonde and blue-eyed, and looks nothing like her half-sisters.
The new images also show Nell Tiger Free as a much older version of Queen Cersei's daughter Myrcella, who was last played by younger actress Aimee Richardson when she was sent to Dorne by Tyrion Lannister in season two.
The new pics show her with her betrothed Trystane Martell, played by new cast member Toby Sebastian, who is the son of Prince Doran, and cousin to the Sand Snakes.
Kit Harington has promised that the hotly-awaited Game of Thrones season five will be as "shocking" as fans have come to expect.
The English actor plays Jon Snow in the hit fantasy drama, which had its global premiere in a huge tent at the Tower of London last night.
"They tend to go story season then shocking season then story season then shocking season. This is a shocking season," he told Radio Times before the screening, adding that new episodes are "like a horror film".
Harington was one of the large ensemble cast to walk the red carpet on Wednesday, before the series returns.
Audiences are familiar with major characters being killed off, something that author George RR Martin seems to have a passion for, but the 28-year-old remained tight-lipped on his fate.
"I can't tell you whether I make it through this season, I can't tell you who makes it through," he told Express. "There are some big shocks. There are some big events. It's a really interesting season."
Harington also mentioned the role of women in Thrones, praising it for its host of "very strong female characters" including Arya Stark and Daenerys Targaryen.
"There are more women who are in control than in other shows," he said.
Game of Thrones begins screening in New Zealand on April 13 on Soho.
