The stars of “Game of Thrones” certainly have other projects lined up after the final episode of this season airs on HBO. So fans will have many opportunities to see their favorite actors play other characters on TV or feature film until GoT returns for its final season in 2018.
For Kit Harrington aka Jon Snow, it will be another struggle for the English throne tv series based on real historical events. He will star as the infamous Guy Fawkes in a 3-part series, "Gunpowder," which will be shown on BBC in a still to be announced release date.
Harrington is one of the executive producers of the show and he will be joined by Liv Tyler and Mark Gatiss in the cast.
J Blakeson will be the director.
With the hacking problems dogged HBO and “Game of Thrones” this season, it is interesting to note that Kit Harrington is set to play a character whose likeness was translated into a face mask popular to protesters and hackers, like the group called Anonymous. The hacker that breached HBO’s network, however, is only known as Mr. Smith.
The Gunpowder Plot
The English historical event on November 5, 1605, that became known as the Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to assassinate King James I, a Protestant king, in order to restore a Catholic monarch on the throne. The plotters were provincial English Catholics that included Robert Catesby, the leader, Thomas Wintour and Guy Fawkes.
Fawkes played a central role in the execution of the plot because of his expertise in gunpowder. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the king’s opening of the Parliament. Fawkes and his group stacked 36 sacks of gunpowder in the cellars of the building directly beneath where the king would be seating when the monarch opens Parliament.
If the plan seems familiar to”Game of Thrones” fans, it's because of the similarities to how Cersei wiped out all of her enemies by igniting the wildfire stacked beneath the Sept of Baelor during the final episode last season.
Foiling the plot
The Gunpowder Plot, however, was discovered by King James I spymaster Robert Cecil and Guy Fawkes was arrested in the cellars of the House of Lords.
Fawkes was subjected to horrible torture and was sentenced to an even horrible manner of being hanged, drawn and quartered.
Fawkes avoid such gruesome experience though by jumping from the gallows thereby breaking his neck, which caused his death. Their leader, Robert Catesby, was never tried for he was killed evading capture.
Britain still holds November 5 as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night.
