The good old SciFi Wire is reporting that the above-pictured Peter Dinklage has signed on to the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin‘s Game of Thrones.  This is great news for so many resons.  Lets list them, shall we?

1. This means there actually is a project.  Up until now, there was talk, but little or nothing concrete.
2. Dinklage is perfect to play Tyrion, a brilliant and complex character who is also a dwarf.  When I started reading this series, I was floored at how much there was to this character.  Although there are many aspects to the story which don’t concern Tyrion, the material that revolves around him and his supremely f-‘d up family is, in my opinion, the best part of the book.
3. Director Thomas McCarthy is Dinklage’s running partner from the Station Agent.  HBO’s choice of McCarthy tells me a lot about how important Tyrion’s character will be to this adaptation and that is outstanding.

I’m not expecting anything to actually air anytime soon, but at least the thing is moving forward and there some good thinking about how to do this project.