With casting and location news coming in, and filming due to start in a few weeks time, we thought we'd start this year's round up post where we will collect all the information about S6 together in one place. I have added links to the few bits of information we have already, and added some new Casting News below too to kick us off. Andy or myself will update the post with any new information as it becomes available. If you come across anything that you think should be added, please use the Scoop Button below and send it in to us.
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21st October - [SPOILER] Also Returning & Seen on Set
Hot on the heels of the news that Clive Russell will be returning as Blackfish, Los Siete Reinos have now confirmed that Tobias Menzies, Edmure Tully, has also been seen filming on the Riverrun set in Northern Ireland.
19th October - [SPOILER] to Return
THE BLACKFISH HAS RETURNED!
Last seen ducking out of the Red Wedding for a well-timed bathroom break, Brynden Tully aka The Blackfish has been missing since season 3. Catelyn’s uncle, played by Clive Russell, has been considered alive according to interviews, and fans have been anxiously awaiting his return.
Los Siete Reinos says their sources confirm Russell was seen filming as the Blackfish this week in Corbet, Northern Ireland.
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
9th October - BTS Photos
Thanks to AJ for the heads up.
More Photos here.
9th October - Casting News
Deadline have reported that Melanie Liburd has been cast as a Red Priestess in season 6. It is likely that this is the Priestess role first posted back in May which read:
Priestess. Mid-20’s to early 30’s. Any ethnicity- she’s beautiful, intense, and magnetic.
Liburd comes from Hertfordshire, England, and has appeared in CSI, Stalker and Strike Back.
3rd October - Casting News
New Zealand-born actor Joe Naufahu has booked a multi-episode arc on the upcoming sixth season of HBO’s Game Of Thrones. As usual, character details are being kept under wraps.
Source:
Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Robert Aramayo has landed back to back roles on television and film. First up, he’s booked a still-secret role on the next season of HBO’s Game Of Thrones. He joins a growing list of new cast joining HBO’s hit fantasy series in its sixth season, among them Ian McShane and Max von Sydow. Details about the season, and Aramayo’s role, are still very much under wraps.
Source:
Deadline
30th September - Tower of Joy Filming, Sean Bean on Set?
Thanks to Richard Atkinson we have our first glimpse of what is most likely the fight at the Tower of Joy between Ned Stark, Arthur Dayne and Howland Reed. He has caught what appears to be a moment in the fight where Reed takes down Dayne from behind as the other two men battle furiously (1.15mins - 1.50mins), which could even be the very moment that Ned mentioned being the time Howland saved his life from the legendary knight perhaps?
From this distance it isn't possible to tell if it is indeed Sean Bean fighting, although it wouldn't take too much trickery to make him look younger on screen. They may use a body double/stunt performer for some of the outdoor long shots however, and then swap to using Bean for the indoor and close up shots later on in the filming when it moves to Ireland later in the year. But for now, it is certain that Castillo de Zafra is indeed the Tower of Joy and it's looking very likely that Sean Bean is going to be back in Season Six
27th September - SPOILER Set Photo from Belfast
Kit Harington hinted that he would be returning to Game Of Thrones in some capacity last week, despite the fact his character was killed off in the season five finale.
And on Friday the 28-year-old actor, who plays Jon Snow in the hit HBO series, was spotted on set in Belfast looking very much alive.
Having ditched his blacks, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, was standing tall in Stark clothes with his sword on his hip as they filmed on the remote Northern Ireland hilltop.
He wore his long locks in his signature man bun and appeared to be deep in conversation as they gathered around several expensive-looking pieces of camera equipment.
Source:
Daily Mail
Full sized photo can be seen by clicking the thumbnail below
21st September - Tarly's Cast & Update on Saintfield Filming [Spoiler]
Thanks to Watchers on the Wall for the following updates.
They have revealed on their site that Sam's family have now been cast, with James Faulkner and Samantha Spiro playing his parents, Randyll Tarly and Melessa Tarly, while Rebecca Benson will take on the role of his sister, Talla Tarly.
They also have a little more detail on the huge battle that is being filmed at Saintfield, which includes both Kit Harrington and Iwan Rheon and we first reported on 11th September. As well as this being a battles between the Boltons and the Wildings, it will also include several different armies their sources have revealed. Filming is expected to continue well into the beginning of October, which surely makes this one of the biggest battles that the show has seen so far
12th September - Casting News & King's Landing Spoiler
Further details have emerged following the casting Call details revealed last week about the theatre group [see 8th September - Further Casting News] thanks to photographs from Teleprograma. Richard E Grant appears to be the Grand Theatre Actor/Manager, known as Izembaro in the novels, while Kevin Eldon has been identified as the Leading Theatre Character Actor by an eagle-eyed reader over at Watchers on the Wall.
Meanwhile, EW have confirmed that Australian actress Essie Davis has also been cast in a member of a travelling theatre troupe. They will be performing a play called “The Bloody Hand” which is a depiction of the events in King's Landing since the series began. Essie will be playing the part of Cersei Lannister.
At some stage in the season, there will be an interesting public confrontation in King’s Landing. A mounted Jaime Lannister, leading a troop of Tyrell soldiers in a demonstration of force, will march on the Sept of Baelor.
At the steps leading to the sept, they will come to a halt. Surprisingly the Sparrows submit easily, and release Margaery, who appears to have become a devotee to the Seven and an instrument of the Faith. It’s not known if Margaery’s conversion is genuine or a ploy to get released.
This scene would seem to occur before Jaime heads off for the Riverlands.
Source:
Watchers on The Wall
11th September - [SPOILER] Involved in Filming this Week
Sources report that today Game of Thrones is filming portions of a massive battle in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, that will likely be a part of episode nine. Preparations and the beginning of filming were seen in that area recently, but it was difficult to glean many details. We’ve learned that the battle will involve many northern armies fighting including the Umbers, the Boltons, wildlings and more! The true major spoiler is this: Kit Harington a.k.a Jon Snow was also seen at the location, participating in shooting this week. Harington has been spotted in Belfast again recently, along with Iwan Rheon, so it’s not too shocking Harington is filming Game of Thrones.
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
8th September - Various Spoilers
We’ve learned that Mace Tyrell will be headed home to Westeros. He won’t receive a warm welcome from his mother, though. Olenna Tyrell will be angry with Mace over Loras and Margaery’s imprisonment, shouting at him for doing nothing about it.
Another exciting bit of news: A very reliable source confirms for us that we’ll be seeing a Stark family flashback, complete with the origin of Hodor.
And as for Ian McShane, we’ve been told that he is not Randyll Tarly or Aeron Greyjoy. McShane plays a character who has a scene with the outlaw band mentioned in the 2nd casting call [see 22nd June - Casting News], who filmed last month. It sounds like McShane’s role has minimal screen time like they said when he was cast, basically, though they did also refer to his “key importance.”
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
8th September - Further Casting News
Watchers on The Wall have the Casting Call details of some new characters. The first four appear to relate to the theatre story that Arya is a part of while calling herself 'Mercedene', or 'Mercy', in one of the The Winds of Winter sample chapters that have been released. These roles are most likely already filled as filming has started for most of them already.
Grand Theatre Actor/Manager (55 – 70) The larger-than-life leader of a troupe of actors. He specializes in portraying drunken aristocrats. He is a huge presence on stage and rather nasty to his company when off-stage. They’re searching for a character actor with great comedy skills. He appears in three episodes, and is shooting this week in Spain, and the week of November 6th in Northern Ireland.
Leading Theatre Character Actor. The leading actor in a theatrical company, around 50 years old. He participates in a play using a pronounced Northern accent, and we see him behind the scenes in seedy touring dressing rooms. He’s a flamboyant caricaturist. He appears in three episodes and he also films this week in Spain and again around November 6th in N. Ireland.
Young Blond Juvenile Lead. Aged 18 – 25. A handsome blond juvenile lead in a theatrical group. He is sweet and noble, but his stage acting probably isn’t very good. We’ll see him playing a heroic young lead on stage, and then also see all the offstage politics between the actors in the dressing room. He has the same shooting dates as the above two actors.
Smart Male Theatregoer, in his 40’s or 50’s. They’re looking for a smart, posh-looking man to play a well-to-do audience member in a theatre. He has one line and is filming in Spain this week.
It is possible that Ross Anderson is playing the Theatre Manager as his Agency have tweeted the following recently.
Ross Anderson joins the cast of Game of Thrones
— Universal Artists (@UniversalMark1) August 28, 2015
Ross Anderson currently shooting in Spain
— Universal Artists (@UniversalMark1) September 7, 2015
Then there are details about three other characters, the first of which has already filmed her role.
Young Stunner. Aged 18 – 20. A stunner of a brunette. She has a couple of scenes, and a great final scene where there is a major twist. This role shot the week of August 5th in Belfast.
Sublime courtesan. Aged 20 – 25. This beautiful courtesan appears at a party where a high-born woman has employed her services. Shoots around the week of September 15th.
Long-haired warrior. Aged 30s – 40s. The show is looking for a non-white, tall muscular actor with long dark hair, a man with a powerful, warrior’s physique, intimidating presence and charisma. It’s noted that he’ll be learning lines in a fictional language learned phonetically, so we can safely assume this character is a Dothraki. The character has a lot to say in one big set-piece scene, in season 6. His shooting dates are currently set for the first two weeks of November.
Finally, WotW also have some details about DeObia Oparei's (Areo Hotah) involvement in season six. The English actor confirms that he will be back, but that his set call isn't until later in the year and he is yet to see any of the scripts, therefore he is unsure of how many scenes/episodes his character will be in as yet.
8th September - Richard E Grant Joins the Cast
According to Richard E Grant's online CV at ARG Talent Agency website he will be in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. There is no character or director listed however, which means we don't yet know who he will be playing.
4th August - Dickon Casting News & Arya Stunt Video
Arya Stark’s sub-plot is shaping up to be really intriguing in Game of Thrones season 6.
First we learned that she will be blind at least for part of it, then we saw her filming underwater scenes in Spain (Braavos), and now a stunt double for Maisie Williams has been spotted leaping from a building in an apparent aerial execution.
Her assassin skills appear to be coming along nicely, with an onlooker at the stunt saying that the double: “was not [pushed] but actually jumped off like in Assassin’s Creed.”
Also, Jaqen H'ghar was there.
After a long wait, we met #tomwlaschiha (#jaqenhghar) #gameofthrones #juegodetronos #character
A photo posted by Montse Rodriguez (@montserodrigu16) on
Sep 3, 2015 at 11:15am PDT
Source:
Independent
It’s official: We’re going to meet at least one member of Samwell Tarly’s family next year.
HBO’s Game of Thrones has cast UnREAL star Freddie Stroma in season 6.
The English actor is going to play Dickon Tarly — Samwell’s brother.
Stroma is best known for his role on Lifetime’s acclaimed dramedy UnREAL where he played the sought-after bachelor on a fictionalized The Bachelor-type reality show. He also appeared in the final two Harry Potter films and has a role in the upcoming Michael Bay movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
Source:
EW
1st September - [Spoiler] Cast According to Sources [UPDATED 4th September]
UPDATED 4th September - Variety have now confirmed Pilou Asbæk's casting as Euron Greyjoy.
It appears that the filming at Ballintoy, Northern Ireland (see yesterday's photos) could well be the Kingsmoot as some fans suspected. Watchers on the Wall have more details, including the following piece of exciting casting news.
Sources report that Danish actor Pilou Asbæk will be playing the role of Euron Greyjoy. The actor was spotted shooting today with the cast around Ballintoy Harbour, in a scene that involved a crowd cheering for Euron.
Asbæk starred in the successful Danish series Borgen as Kasper Juul, along with GoT guest star Birgitte Hjort Sørensen. He appeared as Paolo Orsini on The Borgias, and is playing Pontius Pilate in the newest version of Ben-Hur.
HBO has declined to confirm all castings this year, so we can’t call this casting official at this time.
See more at:
Watchers on the Wall
31st August - Fan Set Photos
Ballintoy, Northern Ireland
Photos: Matthew Woodhouse & Andrew Gillan
Source
Sallagh Brae, Northern Ireland
Photo: Bill Guiller
Girona, Spain
Photos: The Daily Girona & Matthew Beer
Almeria, Spain
Photos: Journal of Almeria & David Lopez
Source
30th August - Two Casting Call Character's Identity Confirmed
Since the second huge casting list dropped into our laps, fans have been guessing which characters in the North were those “northern Lords” mentioned. [See 22nd June post below]
We can now confirm for our readers that, as many suspected, the savage bear-like Noble lord is Smalljon Umber. This is a change from the novels, since Smalljon Umber was killed at the Red Wedding in A Storm of Swords. Since we never met Smalljon on the show, however, that leaves Game of Thrones free to introduce his character, since the Greatjon disappeared after the first season (and a reported actor-scheduling difficulty for season 2).
The second Northern Lord is the new Lord Karstark. Robb Stark executed the previous Lord Karstark in season 3 for leading the killing of two young hostages. It’s not clear if this new Karstark is connected to the books’ current Karstarks or if the show has developed their own character. There are some shenanigans around the lordship of Karstark in the later novels, and Northern Stronghold lord doesn’t sound in description like a direct match to any one character. Unfortunately, we didn’t hear anything about a first name for this character so there’s something of a mystery there, but he is Lord Karstark.
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
27th August - New Castings Announced & Set Photos
Cheers to darquemode for the heads up
According to the website of the Narrow Road agency, actress Souad Faress has been cast in the sixth season of Game of Thrones. Her role is not known at this time.
The agency says that she will begin filming her role in October.
Our other piece of casting news: according to his Spotlight CV, English actor Eddie Eyre will be playing the role of Ser Alfred Hunrith.
His CV notes that he’s “currently filming” for the show, and this week on Twitter, he’s been discussing his preparation with Game of Thrones assistant stunt coordinator Paul Shapcott.
And thanks to Diaridigirona, we have a few more photos from the set in Girona today.
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
24th August - The Hound Returning?
Cheers to darquemode for the heads up
I’ve heard from a source whom I trust, who has provided us reliable information going back several years, that Rory McCann was seen recently staying at a hotel in Belfast commonly used by HBO and Game of Thrones cast members during filming.
Currently, McCann has no other projects scheduled, or any other reason to be in Belfast that we’re aware of. Book readers have their theories as to how the Hound- or rather, Sandor Clegane might return. But it wouldn’t be the first time Game of Thrones has diverged from the original story if they choose a different version for the return of Sandor Clegane.
Source:
Watchers on the Wall
22nd August - Cast sightings in Belfast
Natalia Tena and Art Parkinson were spotted in Belfast, at a restaurant. The woman who took the photo confirmed it was taken at the Perch, a restaurant in the city, this past Sunday.
Tena and Parkinson being back in Belfast forces us to raise the question, are Osha and Rickon coming back to Game of Thrones?
We can also add Jonathan Pryce to the list of confirmed returns, shown here with a fan, who also ran into Nathalie Emmanuel
More photos at:
Watchers on the Wall
21st August - Filming News & Set Photos
Filming for the sixth season of Game of Thrones is well underway [sic] in Northern Ireland as one of its top stars was snapped mid-scene.
Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in the hit HBO series, was spotted in character in Carnlough Lough on Monday afternoon.
The star could be seen grimacing as she took a dip in the chilly water as fans gathered to watch the scene in the small Co Antrim village.
Maisie was later seen being wrapped in a blanket after her scene had wrapped. Another girl with similar hair and a similar costume was also spotted at the scene, perhaps acting as a body double for the actress.
See more photos at:
Belfast Live
Cheers to Chris for the heads up
Recently, rumours have been circulating that the show would reduce its presence in Croatia. Now, HBO has released a statement clearing things up.
"We can confirm that based on story and location needs, Game of Thrones will not be shooting in Croatia for season 6. The question of whether the production will return to Croatia in the future will be decided once additional seasons are officially set by HBO. At that time, the production, along with HBO, will assess their location needs based on the scripts and storylines. HBO remains grateful to the HAVC and the Croatian crew for all of their continued support."
Source:
Winter is Coming
17th August - New Set Photos
More Photos here.
12th August - Cast & Crew Spotted in Belfast
@TheStrainFX met now as we head to belfast, ireland pic.twitter.com/mLaUHlAG8o
— Sean-Paul McCann (@seanpaulmccann) August 10, 2015
@WatchersOTWall Iwan Rheon in Belfast yesterday #gameofthronesseason6 pic.twitter.com/2Sq7JiNY8X
— Jacqueline Reid (@JacquelineReid1) August 12, 2015
Look what found whilst out shopping. OMG! #GameofThrones @WatchersOTWall pic.twitter.com/WhXPFMFyXJ
— Jackie (@Nurse_Jacks) August 12, 2015
And finally, one from Maisie's Instagram page where she appears to be nursing her sore eyes after wearing blind contact lenses
aftermath of blind contacts.