Roundup: Sci-Fi Central Casting

Jamie Chung will play Mulan on Once Upon a Time.

© Max Morse/Getty Images

Lots of interesting casting notes recently from around the horn of sci-fi/fantasy series:

Game of Thrones—She already caused a wave of excitement with the news she'll be guesting on Doctor Who; you didn't think she could top that, right? Try a recurring role on season 3 of Game of Thrones, as Olenna Tyrell, also known as the Queen of Thorns! Other additions include the always awesome Mackenzie Crook as wildling raider Orell, Clive Russell as Bryndon "Blackfish" Tully, Nathalie Emannuel as slave translator Missandei, Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr, young Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon, and Tara Fitzgerald as her mother, Selyse.

Once Upon a Time—Leveraging their nearly endless supply of potential characters, the fairy tale drama has added two new legendary figures to the already bursting cast list for season 2, both in recurring roles, and both being played by fairly high-profile actors. Is it a coincidence that both of these ancient, copyright-free characters, Mulan and Sleeping Beauty, may just remind viewers of Disney movies that youngsters will want to buy on Blu-Ray? Either way, it will still be fun. Famed female Chinese warrior Mulan will be played by Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch, The Hangover Part II), and Sleeping Beauty, otherwise known as Princess Aurora, will be played by Sarah Bolger from The Tudors, Stormbreaker, and Spiderwick Chronicles.

Arrow—The name may have been clipped in half, but Arrow is nonetheless plundering the DC comic's archives for major figures in the titular hero's life. Among the seminal figures from Oliver Queen's past will be China White, a South Pacific drug cartel leader who Oliver encountered during the years he was maroon, back from which he came so dramatically changed. White will be played by Kelly Hu, who may be familiar as Pearl in The Vampire Diaries, the Sorceress in The Scorpion King, and Lady Deathstrike in X2. Dinah Lance, who we're told will wear Black Canary's fishnets at some point, was previously announced as being played by Katie Cassidy.

The Vampire Diaries—There's a new mysterious and deadly vampire hunter in town for season 4. The recurring will be played by Todd Williams, a veteran of In Plain Sight and The Chicago Code. The new character will first appear the week after the Diaries Oct. 11 season premiere.

Supernatural—Good news for Sam Winchester, who's been looking to get a new lease on life: he'll have a recurring loive interest in season 8, played by Canadian actor Liane Balaban (Last Chance Harvey, The Trotsky, The New Waterford Girl), no relation.

Alphas—Guest stars aplenty will festoon season 2, which starts next week. The interesting names include Sean Astin as an Alpha who has an absorptive brain; C. Thomas Howell (Southland and many low-rent sci-fi cable movies), as an intense, revenge-minded Alpha with super speed; Lauren Holly (NCIS), as a senator with mysterious connections; Steve Byers (Total Recall, Immortals), a DoD tactical liaison to the team; Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica), who can see into minds through touch; and Noah Reid (Three Inches, Rookie Blue), who's convinced his dead sister is still alive. Also returning for brief recurring spots will be John Pyper-Ferguson, Kathleen Munroe, Mahershala Ali, and Summer Glau.

Haven—Speaking of Thrones, a notable guest star during this fall's third season of Haven will be Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey). He will portray Roland Holloway—a refined yet bitter man who has been trapped inside his house for more than 27 years—in the series' sixth episode, airing in October.