SPOILER WARNING: this article contains plot spoilers. Filming for Game of Thrones season six began in July and there has been a steady drip of leaked photographs and rumours ever since.
The new season is estimated to start on Sunday 24 April 2016, according to Den of Geek. The show has traditionally been shown at 9pm on Sundays within a week or so of Easter, but "it looks like 'winter is coming' a little bit later than we're used to this time around", says the site.A new ten-part HBO series called Vinyl will be taking the Sunday 9pm slot from 14 February until 17 April, says the Den of Geek, meaning that Game of Thrones is "almost certainly" going to start the following week.
Meanwhile, fans have been keeping a close eye on the cast and crew, as well as the costumes and scenery at filming locations in Northern Ireland, Spain and Croatia.
Here's what they have deduced:
Mystery royal role: The show has reportedly cast Bollywood star Neil Nitin Mukesh, a 33-year-old actor who has appeared in numerous Hindi-language films. He apparently impressed stunt director Greg Powell when the pair worked on two action scenes in a family drama called Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PRDP).
Mukesh told the Mumbai Mirror: "Greg has directed two sword-fighting sequences in PRDP for which I had to train for over a month in order to get the stance and wrist movements right. He seemed pretty impressed with all the hard work I put in and made the offer when we were shooting for the climax scene a few months ago."
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| Game Of Thrones Season Six: New Mystery Role and Ten Other Latest Leaks |
Daenerys spotted with Cersei: A photograph of a surprising encounter between three Game of Thrones stars prompted wild speculation about the new series. In the image, Emilia Clarke, Natalie Dormer and Lena Headey – who play Daenerys Targaryen, Margaery Tyrell and Cersei Lannister respectively – are seen in full costume standing together in Spain. Italian site Melty suggested the photograph provided an "incredible" spoiler: that Daenerys had crossed the Narrow Sea and arrived in Westeros. The idea that Daenerys would one day reach Westeros in her attempt to reclaim the Iron Throne is taken for granted, says the site, but the timing seems far too soon.
Melty suggests that the photograph, posted by "Juego de Tronos" on Twitter, may be the "biggest spoiler of Game of Thrones" or the three actresses might just be meeting up during a break from filming. WhatCulture also wonders if Daenerys has really reached Westeros after her six-year journey, pointing out that Headey looks like she is "still in character". But fan site Watchers On the Wall says "sadly" it is not an "upcoming Three-Queens-Hang-Out-Together Season Six plot-twist" but just a photo shoot of the three stars, taken in Alcazaba, a palatial fortification in Malaga, Spain.
Samwell heads for a family reunion: If Jon Snow's death hit fans hard, it is difficult to imagine how his best friend Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) might take the news in season six. At least he's heading for a family reunion, says the Hollywood Reporter.
English actor Freddie Stroma, who appeared in Harry Potter, has been cast as Samwell's brother Dickon. The character has not had a large role in the books, but we do know that he became heir to House Tarly after Samwell was forced to join the Night's Watch by his father, Lord Randyll, and that he married Eleanor Mooton, the daughter of the Lord of Maidenpool.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Randyll will be played by James Faulkner, who has experience of playing high-born characters after a stint as Lord Sinderby in Downton Abbey. Samantha Spiro will play Samwell's mother Melessa Tarly and Rebecca Benson will play his sister Talla.
Spanish fan site Los Siete Reinos has reported that the Castell de Santa Florentina, an 11th-century medieval castle in Catalonia, is being used to portray House Tarly of Horn Hill, located in "The Reach", a region of House Tyrell.
Jon Snow is back: Kit Harington has been spotted (with his signature Jon Snow man bun) speaking to crew on a snowy field in Northern Ireland, suggesting the character must be back from the dead. Watchers on the Wall, which has long claimed Harington is involved in a major Game of Thrones battle sequence, says he appeared to be wearing Stark-style clothing rather than his usual Night's Watch black attire.
Return of Yara Greyjoy: Gemma Whelan, who plays Yara Greyjoy, has confirmed that she is returning to the series – and also revealed that season six will see the HBO fantasy franchise deviate more than ever from the books it is based upon. The actress, whose character has not appeared on the drama since series four, confirmed in an interview that she will be back for the forthcoming series six, which is expected to premiere in April next year.
Speaking of the pressures of keeping details secret, she said: "Even when I said I'm going to Northern Ireland on Wednesday to you just now, I thought 'oh god, maybe I shouldn't say that.' You really watch your back on everything – 'don't say too much'. But at least it's been leaked that I'm going to be in it, so I can talk freely about that."
In the same interview, she revealed that the sixth season will be less related to the novels in the series written by George RR Martin. "They've liaised with George RR Martin who writes the books, and gone off on their tangent, with his approval," she said. "So that's why people are even more interested in spoilers. It's funny isn't it, there's no other show like it."
Jaime Lannister's trip to Riverrun:Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister, has been spotted on set with Clive Russell (Brynden "Blackfish" Tully) and Jerome Flynn (Bronn), prompting speculation that the show's writers are returning to a key part of George RR Martin's fourth book A Feast for Crows.
While the HBO drama has outpaced Martin's Song of Ice And Fire books, there are still storylines from the existing books that are yet to be transformed from words to screen. Jaime's journey to Riverrun, the ancestral castle of House Tully, was a major part of A Feast for Crows and fans think it could now feature in season six.
Blackfish has been spotted filming a scene in which he argues with Jaime and another scene in which he launches flaming arrows. Fans first suspected a riverlands storyline when photographs of a castle with the trout sigil of House Tully surfaced in September. This has also given hope to readers waiting patiently for the return of Catelyn Stark (born Catelyn Tully) as the resurrected Lady Stoneheart.
'Sean Bean on set': One spoiler-hungry fan took his Game of Thrones obsession to new extremes, by hiking three miles through the Spanish hills to film a scene outside Castillo de Zafra, a 13th-century fortress in Campillo de Dueñas. In footage posted on Facebook, the UK fan explains "Have to crawl… you'll see why in a sec" before pointing his camera towards a battle scene. He claims one of the actors is Sean Bean, goading him on: "Go on Beany! Go on Beany! Slayed him!"
Movie site HeyUGuys says that while Ned's death was "as definitive as it gets, speculation has never ceased that he may be brought back in some form in the HBO series". Bean told the site he was not making a return, pointing out: "I got me head chopped off in the first series." But the actor was not entirely convincing and fans have learned not to trust everything they are told by the Game of Thrones cast and crew.
Sebastian Croft, a 13-year-old English actor, has reportedly been cast as a young version of Bean's character Ned Stark in a flashback. Casting breakdowns suggested Croft would be sparring with an older child in a scene. Bean's apparent return to the set looks likely to be for another flashback, possibly at the Tower of Joy…
Tower of Joy and other flashbacks: It has long been rumoured that Castillo de Zafra will be used to represent the Tower of Joy, located in the Red Mountains of Dorne. Many fans believe it will be used for a flashback scene, in which Jon Snow's real lineage is revealed.
The theory is that Jon Snow is not Ned Stark's illegitimate son, but rather the son of Ned's sister Lyanna and Daenerys Targaryen's older brother, Rhaegar. ComicBook.com suggests the flashback might be presented as one of Bran Stark's visions, a gift the Three-Eyed Raven is teaching him to control. Sightings of Isaac Hempstead-Wright, the actor who plays Bran, at the set appear to have confirmed this theory, says the site.
"Given the positive reaction to Cersei's flashback this season, it's not surprising the show would want to dabble with flashbacks again next year," says Vanity Fair. There are plenty of prequel scenes that fans would like to see played out on screen, from the three Lannister children growing up in Casterly Rock and Melisandre's journey to becoming a Red Priestess to Aegon the Conqueror taking over Westeros with dragons and Jaime Lannister slitting the throat of the Mad King Aerys II.
'Battle of the Bastards' rumoured: A long period of shooting has taken place in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, where Game of Thrones has reportedly been filming a huge fight sequence between the Boltons and the wildlings. Sources have told Watchers on the Wall that "several armies are involved with this epic battle". The website concludes that it "may outdo anything we've ever seen on Game of Thrones", although it shies away from calling it the "biggest one of all" as it seems unlikely that dragons will show up just yet.
Police were apparently called in to keep curious fans away from the set. Notices were set up warning drivers against parking or stopping for one mile, and a statement was issued to say: "A decision was taken to deploy officers to a site in the Saintfield area where filming for a popular television show is taking place. The officers are there in order to prevent public order breaches and any possible misuse of drones offences, covered by legislation under Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), whilst filming continues. The costs for the policing operation will be met by the production company."
One insider has since told fan site Winter is Coming that people on the show are calling it "The Battle of the Bastards", with Ramsay Snow – now Bolton – on one side and Jon Snow and the wildlings on the other. Fans believe it will be the "climax" of season six, likely shown in episode nine.
Daenerys' role in the Great War: Grainy images leaked online over the summer appeared to show some of the first scenes being filmed in Northern Ireland. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, was supposed to be filming in Northern Ireland at the time, but there was no blonde hair visible in the photographs. The images were believed to be from Binevenagh mountain, where scenes of the Vale were filmed for season five.
Reports also emerged of a leaked audition tape, showing British actress Tehmina Sunny playing a new red priestess character called Kinvara. The script she was reading gave some hints about what fans might be able to expect from chief Iron Throne contender Daenerys in the next series.
Speaking to Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage, Kinvara says: "Her dragons are fire made flesh. A gift from the Lord of Light. But you've heard all of this before, haven't you? On the Long Bridge of Volantis? The dragons purify non-believers by the thousands, burning their sins and flesh away... I will summon mummers and appoint priests. They will spread the word. Daenerys has been sent to lead the people against the darkness ... for this war, and the Great War yet to come."
Return of Shae: "Game Of Thrones bosses seem like they may be regretting killing off so many characters last series," says the Daily Mirror. After the Jon Snow on-set sightings, a fan has reported seeing Sibel Kekilli, the German actress who plays Tyrion Lannister's traitorous lover Shae. Kekilli was photographed alongside Conleth Hill, who plays Lord Varys, and writer David Benioff in the Spanish town of Peniscola, where scenes set in Meereen are filmed. Shae was last seen when Tyrion appeared to strangle her to death – but did she really die?
