Game of Thrones actor Ciaran Hinds cast as Justice League villain

Welcome, DC's version of Thanos

Zack Snyder’s Justice League cast has grown once more, adding Ciaran Hinds - best known for playing Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones - to its already stellar line-up.

According to The Wrap, the prolific Irish actor will play the CGI villain Steppenwolf, a character hinted at in a deleted scene from this year’s Batman v Superman in which Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor communicates with an intergalactic being through the downed Kryptonian ship.

Also seen in the scene are three mysterious floating boxes which fans of the comics will instantly recognise as Mother Boxes, all three of which are located on earth.

The aforementioned publication confirms the villain will hunt down all three in the film: one is located in Atlantis (Aquaman’s home), one in Themyscira (Wonder Woman’s home), and one is now a part of Justice League member Cyborg.

“[Back] before there was a history … mankind, the Atlanteans — before they were under water — the Amazonians and, actually, the old gods, teamed together and decided that — based on an event that happened — these mother boxes were going to be placed in the care of, as I say, the Amazonians, mankind and the Atlanteans,” producer Charles Roven said. “So that allows us to get into some of those environments.”

While featuring these locations for the first time, the packed film will also serve to introduce Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, Ezra Miller’s The Flash (to a certain extent), J. K. Simmons’s James Gordon, Willem Dafoe’s Nuidis Vulko, Amber Heard’s Mera and Julian Lewis Jones’s unnamed character.

If that wasn’t enough for you the film also sees the return of Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Amy Adams’s Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons’s Alfred, and Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. Oh, and Snyder needs to resurrect Henry Cavil’s Superman. Phew.

Meanwhile, Ben Affleck’s solo Batman film, now titled The Batman, is seemingly in trouble: Bret Easton Ellis inadvertently started a rumour that Warner Bros. executives don’t care about the film, something the Less Than Zero author has since attempted to diffuse.