Caution! This piece contains minor spoilers for Rebel Moon: Part One! Netflix's latest action blockbuster, Rebel Moon, features a number of Game of Thrones actors, but it is the casting of two particular actors that makes one of the show's most significant character recastings even more surprising. Given Game of Thrones' vast ensemble cast over eight seasons, it is not uncommon to see its actors appearing in Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other action-packed franchises with connections to the UK. However, what sets the Game of Thrones actors in Rebel Moon apart is the fact that the two leads played the same character at different points in the HBO series, only to portray vastly different roles in Zack Snyder's 2023 film.
Like many long-running series and franchises, Game of Thrones was known for recasting its supporting characters. While the original pilot featured some memorable recasts, such as Emilia Clarke taking over the role of Daenerys, the series continued to replace multiple actors in significant roles. For instance, The Mountain was played by three different actors throughout the show. Some cast changes were done between seasons to make them less noticeable, such as the aging-up of Tommen between seasons 3 and 4, while others occurred within the same episode. However, the most notable recasting took place in the season 4 premiere, which featured the original and recast actors of the same character sharing the screen in Rebel Moon.
The actors in question are Ed Skrein and Michiel Huisman, both of whom portrayed Daario Naharis, the leader of the Second Sons, in Game of Thrones. Skrein played the enigmatic warrior in season 3, making minimal dialogue appearances and establishing his attraction to Daenerys. However, Huisman took over the role in season 4, resulting in a stark physical transformation and a completely different energy and personality for the character. Fast forward nine years, and these two actors find themselves playing adversaries in Rebel Moon, with Huisman as one of the primary protagonists, Gunnar, and Skrein as the film's main antagonist, Admiral Noble.
This juxtaposition further emphasizes the jarring nature of the Daario Naharis recasting, as it is hard to believe that they both portrayed the same character in one of television's most popular shows.
The changes in Daario between his appearances in season 3 and season 4 went beyond just physical alterations. The demeanor and interactions of Skrein's and Huisman's versions of the character were significantly different. Skrein's Daario exuded a darker, quieter, and potentially more dangerous persona, which Daenerys found intriguing. On the other hand, Huisman's Daario maintained the cunning nature of the character but presented a more charming and less rebellious suitor for Daenerys.
While the book version of Daario had antihero qualities that both actors could have embraced, their on-screen portrayals were markedly distinct, aligning more with Skrein's Rebel Moon villain and Huisman's hero.
Considering Skrein's brilliant performance as the sinister Admiral Noble in Rebel Moon and Huisman's apt portrayal of the farmer-turned-fighter Gunnar, it becomes even more astonishing that Game of Thrones believed a seamless transition between the two actors was possible. It is hard to imagine Skrein as Gunnar or Huisman as Noble in Rebel Moon, as their respective portrayals of Daario foreshadowed their proficiencies in their current film roles.
Furthermore, with Skrein and Huisman set to reprise their characters in Rebel Moon's upcoming sequel, the realization that they both played the same Game of Thrones character is likely to become even more striking.
Directed by Zack Snyder, Rebel Moon is a sci-fi action film set in outer space. It follows a colony facing the threat of Regent Balisarius, and Sofia Boutella plays a warrior tasked with assembling a team to combat the tyrant and his relentless forces set on conquest.
