English Sharpe actor Sean Bean, the also played Boromir in Lord of the Rings has been reported to have been cast in the lead role in the HBO planned series ‘A games of Thrones’ based on George RR Martin popular ‘Song of Fire and Ice’ series of fantasy books.

No date has been set for screening the pilot as yet, and there is no commitment from HBO to a full series either, but with a Serious cast list headed up by Sean Bean, this project has got to be taken seriously.

Sean bean has been cast in lead role of Eddard Stark, who is a Lord who finds himself acting as advisor to the ruthless royal family. Other cast members already confirmed to feature in the Pilot include Kit Harrington, Jack Gleeson, Harry Lloyd, and Peter Dinklage, with more key roles still to be announced.

The show is been adapted and produced by David Benioff and Dan Weiss. David has suggested a ‘crappy’ tagline for the project could be, “The Sopranos in Middle-earth”, which can only set the imagination racing. With plot elements that will contain spot of conspiracy, incest, child murder, corruption, conspiracy, a rival claimant to the throne across the sea, the still-festering legacy of a civil war 20 years before, a growing threat in the North and did I mention conspiracy? We should see a show which is far darker than Sean Beans Previous fantasy adoptions.

Production is due to begin in Northern Ireland in October 2009, at Paint Hall Studios in Belfast. It is also rumoured that the BBC will have a financial involvement in the series in a similar way they did with HBO’s Rome series.

Sean Bean sprung to fame as Major Richard Sharpe, the ITV series of Sharpe TV films in the early 90’s, Was made world famous as Boromir in the Lord of the Rings films, but has also stared in numerous other Hollywood films such as Ronin, Patriot Games and Troy.