500 extras planned for major scene in Game of Thrones season 6

Photo: Marc Marti/DiariDeGirona

DiariDeGirona has new information about the rumored scene on the steps of the beautiful, baroque Girona Cathedral. As previously reported, a season 6 scene involving a horse walking up and down the steps of the cathedral is in the works.

DiariDeGirona reports today that the stairs will have a key role to play in a major season 6 scene. They also note that the cathedral is one of the first places David Benioff and D.B. Weiss went to see when they arrived in Girona on Thursday.

The newspaper reveals that the scene will contain the horse ridden by one of the show’s major characters, with them riding triumphantly between citizens and soldiers at the cathedral.

The steps are booked from September 11th through the 16th.

DiariDeiGirona also has more photos to share with us in their gallery. In addition to more photos of the theatrical stage and set in the works, there are a few more photos from yesterday’s filming, of Faye Marsay (The Waif) walking with another woman in costume. The other actress is unidentified at this time. It’s not known if she’s a double, an extra or has more of a role in season 6.

actress
Photo: Marc Marti/DiariDeGirona
actresses
Photo: Marc Marti/DiariDeGirona

Here’s a brief video a fan shot and uploaded today. Game of Thrones filmed a scene (for Braavos, judging by the clothes) on another set of stairs, these at a building on Pujada de Sant Marti. Around 45 seconds into the video, you can see someone jumping into sight.

That’s the stunt we saw being rehearsed two days ago, in this post. Thanks, Dark Sister, for pointing that out!

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And Maisie Williams shared this message for her enthusiastic fans in Spain:

We can be sure next week will be very busy with several locations set for filming, including inside the Banys Arabs.

Yesterday, Los Siete Reinos’ sources in Girona found information indicating there will be at least one Tarly-related scene filmed in the city. Perhaps that’s why the casting of Freddie Stroma as Dickon was announced? Should we hope for more Tarly announcements, like Randyll, in the very near future? Fingers crossed!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

172 Comments

  1. There was an article on wotw with the stuntwoman practising.
    That’s now the actual filming of one of the jumps with extras etc present.

  2. And I know they’re speculating it’s Daenerys, but given that this is pretty much King’s Landing or Braavos mostly, I don’t think it’s Dany. DiariDeGirona is just guessing. Which they’re entitled to do, but I think a better guess would be a character based in King’s Landing. That’s my personal opinion.

    Dark Sister,

    Oh I couldn’t even see the jump before, it’s behind the banner thing mostly. Gotcha, I’ll update it.

  3. Do we know what location will that Cathedral stand for? I don’t why but I’m thinking Daenerys, it does sound like hear, riding amoung the people. It’s probably not hear unless they’ll use the Cathedral for Volantis or something.

  4. The good thing about the cathedral steps is they are incredibly public so we’ll know who it is pretty easily when they film it. There’s no way a setting that large, with 500 extras, that no one isn’t going to leak who that scene’s about.

  5. Whatever the horse-riding among 500 people scene is, it seems to be a scene of triumph —as in, maybe someone has just conquered a city. Even if we don’t glimpse the “major character” on the horse, we’ll have a better idea once we see the extras —whether it is King’s Landing, Oldtown, Braavos, or somehow Meereen or Volantis.

    Now, I don’t think this is going to happen, but if Emilia Clarke is spotted mounting the horse and the extras are from King’s Landing… well, that would be a pretty major spoiler, wouldn’t it? Again, I don’t think it’s happening, but it would be amazing.

    Sue the Fury,

    That’s great!

    So hopefully in about a week, between the 11th and the 16th, we’ll know who it is on the horse and where the scene takes place!

  6. Sue the Fury,

    If that’s true, I think Cersei may be a candidate, of course assuming that she emerges victorious from her trial. Riding triumphantly amidst a large crowd of citizens would certainly reverse her walk of shame in season 5.

  7. I would say that looks as if it’s Faye Marsay’s double, if not it’s odd to have three women associated with the FM.
    One disappointing thing at the House of Black and White they only seem to wear ‘utility clothes’ when at work, or Arya goes out as a Braavosi, no formal Black-and-While robes, as on the page.
    Seems odd when the show is top notch for costuming.

  8. She’s not wearing the same clothing as Faye Marsay. If you look, her costume is brown rather than black, and it’s a little torn. And the neckline is different.

    I suppose she could be Arya’s double, if Arya had changed into beggar clothes? Or she could be a person going into the HoBaW for their services.

  9. How can you guys think this scene is in meeren or volantis??? Girona is not a big city. They can t make 5 big citys from got in Girona. Put in your head Girona is KL and Bravoos. Nothing more. Oldtown is not is girona lile los siete reinos said.Probably will be in peniscula. I dont even know where will be meeren or dorne. But girona its not.

  10. No way does Daenerys just appear in KL, ride around the place and have everyone cheer for and bow to her just like that. And early on in season 6 even. We’re talking ASOIAF here. It’s not going to be this easy and there’s high probability Daenerys doesn’t even get to sit the IT. Unless the showrunners decided to take a completely different road that is.

  11. Can be Randil. Jaime. Kevan. Cersei. Tomeen.High sparrow. Loras. I think its Randil. Like people said will be a Tarly in Girona. And a tarly in girona means a tarly in KL. So Randil…Or can be the hound arriving in KL scouted by the faith for trial by combat. I dont know…

  12. I have a feeling that the character riding the horse through the crowd could be Cersei. It could be a dramatic scene of her reentering the city streets since her walk. The crowd could just be commoners/guards waiting for her. Idk just a thought. I can see why people think it would be Dany since she’s always riding through huge crowds of people, but I expect her to be in the Dothraki Sea most of the season and only return to/leave Meereen in the last few episodes.

  13. Aguero,

    Relax, we’re just guessing here 🙂 I’m not saying it’s Volantis, just that it could be. We don’t have the books like in previous off-seasons so everything is possible at this point.

  14. House Adder,

    Have a job seeing as Silver died in Season 2!

    It won’t be Dany. She has stuff to do in Mereen/Vale Dothrak. She won’t make it to KL this season and htere is no purpose of her going to Braavos.

  15. The only way I’d be convinced it’s Dany if we see a silver horse…

    in the books, Loras is gone, presumed by Cercei to be dead. Perhaps he is released/escapes, meets up with Tarlys and helps them triumph throughout Kings’ Landing?

    Would give Loras something to do other than fights Stannis, which no longer makes any sense…

  16. TheTouchOfFrost,

    That’s right. I don’t see a possible scenario of her actually landing on Westerosi soil, let alone reaching the capital, in season 6. She might finally be heading there near the end of the season but that’s all we will see until 2017.

  17. I think it could be Margaery riding in triumph after being acquitted of all charges-especially to contrast with Cersei who even if she wins her trial is NOT gonna be flaunting publicly in KL ever again.

  18. Tarly riding through Kings Landing triumphantly after getting Margery from the Sept. Maybe even after throwing the Iron Born out of Hightower’s land.

    It shows him as the new BadAss Leader after Tywin and Stannis’s demise.

    Cersei return from her trial victorious with Robert Strong is the only other choice.

    Dany makes no sence except in a return to Meereen. Volantis and most of Essos is against her in the book. So she would only ride triumphantly through Volantis after destroying half the city. Then again she could be given another gift.

    Jaime, Euron the only other choices also makes no sence.

  19. Sue the Fury:
    The good thing about the cathedral steps is they are incredibly public so we’ll know who it is pretty easily when they film it. There’s no way a setting that large, with 500 extras, that no one isn’t going to leak who that scene’s about.

    Sandor Clegane is my hope!!! Let’s go!!!

  20. Exciting stuff reported these days. Lots of little birds about, chirp-chirp, click-click. My distant, clueless hope is that the horse walking up and down the stairs is Stranger.

  21. I’m in two minds whenever I see these posts – part of me is intrigued, the other part things “I don’t want to be spoiled” but in the words of the song “The flesh it is willing but the flesh it is weak”. Am I bitchy to think “Ha ha” when I see the rain – I’m sure the reason I have been out of sorts these last two weeks is that I got soaked a fortnight ago to the day and in the UK (well my part of it at least) we have had changeable weather ever since, so I felt pleased to think that even a sunny land like Spain is getting some rain.

    Thanks for providing these snippets WOTW – though if I don’t want to be spoiled I should be praying “and lead us not into temptation”.

  22. Byron,

    I don’t see any reason to expect Tarly to be in KL in the show. Olenna is the Tyrell heavy there. Tarly will appear in Sam’s plot.

    I doubt it’s Volantis, but the Volantene population (the enslaved class, anyway, but that’s a supermajority) are with Dany in the story. Were she to liberate them, she’d receive the same welcome she got from the enslaved people of Slaver’s Bay.

  23. WowW staff, and especially Sue the Fury, I too want to add my thanks for the awesome job you are all doing, bringing us this smorgasbord of Season 6 hints and keeping the interest level high!

    I hope the horse-riding on the steps scene is towards the end of the season and it’s Randyll Tarly, who has allied himself with the Tyrells, coming in triumph to free Marge and Loras, and take over the IT! 😀 Perhaps the remaining Lannisters would flee to Casterly Rock. That would be glorious!

    Turncloak: Dany makes no sence except in a return to Meereen. Volantis and most of Essos is against her in the book.

    How interesting! I am just a show watcher, and it has looked like a large part of Essos population, all the slaves, are pretty supportive of her. Volantis, last season, showed that quite clearly. Of course, the minority slave owners would be totally against her. 😉

  24. Can’t edit above, and I have no idea why the quote function incorrectly quoted Turncloak in my post above instead of Byron. I was replying to Byron.

  25. Dame of Mercia,

    I like to think of this as the proper alternative to the promotion HBO should be doing for GoT. All we got last year was The Sight, which was a disaster, 2 trailers and a few videos.

  26. davy,

    Agree

    The scene with the happy Sparrows will be when they have executed Ser Loras and/or Margaery, and the horse on the steps scene will be when the Tyrells have sent “the Randyll” in to slaughter the Sparrows in revenge

    Kings Landing to be a bloodbath in season 6!

  27. It could also be Ned riding into King’s Landing and into the Red Keep to find Jamie Lannister on the throne.

  28. davy:
    I think the person riding triumphantly might be Randyll Tarly. It would certainly fit his character.

    I thought that but surely they won’t count him as a “mJor character” just yet (in his first season). Something is trying to tell me that it’s Tommen who will finally assert himself on the stage. Everyone is expecting the Tyrells and Cersei to all have a trial and so on but when has everything gone as we plan? Tommen attempting to overthrow the Faith would coincide with reports that there is a scene of hundreds of Goldcloaks going on. Just a thought?

  29. Sean C.,

    Randyll Tarly appears in the books as a one of the members of the small council and POTENTIAL SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO DIDN”T READ THE BOOKS: he can replace Kevan as the hand of the king. And he supports Tyrells more than Lannisters.

  30. Everyone will know soon enough who the rider is…those steps are to visible to the public outside the filming areas, unless they install like 5 story high screens. Though we know how that went at Osuna.

  31. Mihnea,

    It is important horse, like the blue rose, just like dragons this horse is the symbol that represent Dany in the books, even in the show that symbol is acknowledged.

  32. House Adder,

    All right I get, that horse will end on the IT, or he will be the one convincing Dany to finnally go to Westeros.

    I’m out. Not going to enter a disscussion about one lousy horse.

  33. House Adder:

    Maybe not, we will see, in the 6 th book this scene could be FAegon’s but in the show, who knows…

    Yes, riding triumphantly between citizens and soldiers towards the great Sept of Baelor is pretty much how I imagined the Mummer’s Dragon arrive in King’s Landing, but that’s not going to happen in the show, so are they giving his role of aa rival to Danny to someone else or is something totally unrelated?

  34. Ser Barristan Selmy rides Silver in battle for Meereen in TWOW, the Silver represents the queen and should give courage to the tropes.
    So Silver is Dany, Dany is Silver 😛

  35. lalla,

    I just joked about Dany, my personal believe is that this scene will have something to do with Faith and Trail of the Seven, because to enter the Great Sept of Baelor on the horse is just insulting.

  36. Redstar,

    Ok, enough with the horse, it was a joke… I just joked about Dany, my personal believe is that this scene will have something to do with Faith and Trail of the Seven, because to enter the Great Sept of Baelor on the horse is just insulting.

  37. I hope that the rider is someone out of the blue, not Another Stern Old Male Character, i.e. Tarly Sr.. That would be a repeat of Tywin’s horse shitting itself.

    Someone like Trystane, Cersei or Sam would be perfect. Well, I’m not sure if Sam can ride a horse up steps. But, in general, someone unexpected.

  38. House Adder:
    Dany finally arrives on her silver and rides the streets of Kings Landing.

    If she arrives in KL on a horse and not a dragon, isn’t that a bit….anticlimactic?

  39. Aguero,

    So because i express the opinion that the books aren’t good i am somehow a troll ? I bet you don’t have many friends in real life .

  40. Gatsby:
    It could also be Ned riding into King’s Landing and into the Red Keep to find Jamie Lannister on the throne.

    I doubt they’ll do a flashback of that. That entire moment was covered in S1 with Ned/Jamie, and reiterated in various dialogue scenes along the way. Seeing it wouldn’t add anything, unlike the Tower of Joy, which would finally answer one of the story’s biggest mysteries.

  41. Spartan_Halo,

    Sorry for replying to my own comment but for some reason the edit button doesn’t work,anyway,i hate to break it to you but in life people are allowed to like or dislike something,just like there are plenty of fellows here that hate the show yet somehow spend 24/7 of their time on this site,i don’t enjoy the books,i tried to like them but i found them boring and full of filler nonsense .

  42. Piotr,

    Yes, the key being that that’s what happens in the books. In the show, there’s no real reason why his character would be needed in KL. The show has removed the presence of the Tyrell army, they have Olenna acting as the face of the Tyrells, and from the sound of the casting he’s going to be in Oldtown and interacting with Sam.

  43. Ravyn,

    Just remember what poor citizen of Kings Landing had done to dragons at Daznak Pit in Dance, she will not ride Drogo through the streets, that is for certain, not even in the books…

  44. Luka Nieto: Now, I don’t think this is going to happen, but if Emilia Clarke is spotted mounting the horse and the extras are from King’s Landing… well, that would be a pretty major spoiler, wouldn’t it?

    It would be equally major if it is Bravos! At some point, Daeny has to start moving west, and in a lot of ways it would make a lot of sense if it was this year.

    That written, there are supposed to be a lot of people with Valyrian features in major Essossian cities, so it could be yet a third city and some different character. It’s all guessing right now!

  45. What puzzles me is that the intro to this thread says that the scene will contain “the” [not “a”] horse ridden by one of the major characters. Alex, I’ll take “Famous Horses of GoT” for $500.

  46. Mihnea,

    lol now I hope you mean Oberyn’s daughter.

    FUN FACT: Nymeria Sand is actually a random favorite of mine from the books. Still waiting to fall in love with her in the show, hopefully it happens in season 6!

  47. davy,

    hes not a major character on the show yet so it cant be him.. it may be Jaime or Loras (although i dont see him as a major character either)..it may be Arya though..

    The scene suits Dany the most so it could be that they are using the stairs here to film a scene of her elsewhere like Volantis. Just because they are using this area for Braavos and KL doesnt mean that they cant use it to film certain scenes for areas aside from those two

  48. Bareeq: Just because they are using this area for Braavos and KL doesnt mean that they cant use it to film certain scenes for areas aside from those two

    Given that so many places are supposed to be so heavily influence by Valyrian architecture, this is a distinct possibility that we should not forget!

  49. Byron,

    Essos and Volantis are not against Dany..only the rich are against her and those are only a minority. The poor and the slaves are with her; and after last season’s look into Volantis; its pretty given that Volantis will rebel against the masters and fall readily into Dany’s hands. The show has already set up her popularity in Volantis last season for us so we got to see how slaves and commoners along with priests and prostitutes idolize her or believe that shes the savior. Those people are far more than the rich masters that hate her so her conquering those cities will most likely have her strolling victorious in the streets with the people cheering. The former slaves of Meereen are certainly not happy with Dany last season but they still dont hate her as far as we know. If she were to face her identity on the show the way she did in the last book and recognized the importance of being decisive then we will most likely see her gaining far more support once again from the people than she had before.

    going back to this scene, its unlikely for this to be Dany unless the stairs represent something happening elsewhere like in the East. It will all depend on what the extras and actors are wearing in this scene.

  50. Dame of Mercia,

    It’s funny because I myself love the spoilers when it come to anything Game of Thrones. I’m not that way with other shows or books. I think because this particular series is SO in depth and complicated and intricate I feel I need all the help, discussions, explanations and such that I can get! lol

  51. Interesting!

    Looking at major characters left…
    – Cersei would not be amongst the people in all likelihood.
    – I do not see the people cheering for Jaime unless he has some huge military victory and I do not foresee that in Season 6.
    – Would the people cheer Sansa’s return? It does not make a lot of sense to me. In the North somewhere yes, but not in KL or Braavos.
    – Jon Targaryen risen from the dead and seen as AA? I do not see that happening at KL or Braavos either.
    – The masses have no reason to cheer for Bran or Arya.
    – While I can see masses cheering for Dany, I do not expect her to be in Braavos or KL this season.
    – Seems unlikely to me they would spend so much on a flashback of someone entering KL, but maybe?

    Maybe it is Randyll Tarly after defeating the Sparrows like many have mentioned. Maybe it is Margaery after being released, the people do love her…. I don’t see either as major characters, but opinions vary.

    No one characters jumps out as an obvious choice to me… I guess the filming of te scene will clue us in.

  52. Bareeq: Essos and Volantis are not against Dany..only the rich are against her and those are only a minority.

    And a key thing to remember is that Tyrion is very aware of this.

  53. Bareeq,

    That seems quite possible to me!
    Dany is really the only “major” character that would have people cheering for them at this point in the saga IMO. It doesn’t make sense for her to get that reaction in Braavos or KL, but Volantis? That does!

  54. I think it can’t be Euron, Cersei or Loras who rides triumphantly down in KL, because the sparrows looked happy in the previous pictures also from the same location. Could be Margaery, because her guilt is less certain which makes her not hated by sparrows. The smallfolk also loves Loras, but it can’t be Cersei or unGregor for certain. Randyll Tarly is what I’m hoping for, and as of ADWD, he is at KL ready to act if Margaery’s trial goes wrong.
    If Dany reaches KL by the finale, this could be a scene with her, but it is highly unlikely. I feel Tyrion and Varys will return to KL before Dany does.

  55. Maybe I missed it, but where does it say the crowd is cheering? The article says the someone rides triumphantly. That means the rider is a victor or won something. That doesn’t mean the crowd is pleased by it.

  56. Some of these guesses you guys are making are absolutely terrible. It’s going to be Randyll Tarly. He’s the most lauded soldier/commander in Westeros. He is Samwell Tarly’s father. His sword is made of Valyrian steel. He is a major character. End of discussion.

  57. I think the girl with Faye is Maisie’s double. Her eyebrows look familiar to me lol I think she was in the background of those photos with Maisie in the water from the past couple weeks. Wearing the same clothing that Maisie was wearing as well. perhaps the double is taking the hits from the Waif.

  58. As I posted earlier, my first thought was Randyll Tarly. But all this discussion about the character being Daenerys, set me wondering: do we know yet where they are filming outdoor Meereen scenes this season? Could this be her triumphant return to Meereen on a horse leading the Dothraki, with Drogon perhaps perched on top of the highest pyramid? I do think she has to be back in Meereen at some point, and it is going be a victorious return.

  59. I can’t wait til this shoots so we can hopefully see who it is! In reference to the possibility it may be Dany, perhaps they’re using the stairs to shoot her return to Mereen, climbing the steps of her pyramid, but not necessarily requiring other Meteen shots in Girona. Otherwise I thought of Jaime, but isn’t NCW shooting in iceland right now?

  60. My guess is it is either Cersei or Maergary & Loras. Whoever wins their trial. I’ll say Cersei.

  61. I think Cersei as well. It has sort of a Lady Godiva feel to it in that she had to walk through the crowd naked and was mocked. Now she rides a horse triumphantly and the crowd cannot mock.

    I’ve also seen some ideas that Cersei loses a foot. So Jaime will have lost the hand and Cersei loses her foot, which is how they came into the world together, him holding her foot. The connection is then fully severed between them.

  62. Apologies can’t get spoiler tags to work, but given other coverage this off season, I think it’s safe this deep in comments in a spoiler thread.

    What if it’s Jon? Likely much too soon with 8 season pacing, but that would be an amazing final shot of the season. If it’s him, the screens will be the height of skyscrapers.

  63. Much more likely though that it’s Tarly or as someone argued, Dany. The steps could stand in for the steps of a pyramid. Though, to be honest, that feels like backward motion plotwise.

  64. Kay: about the character being Daenerys, set me wondering:

    Seems to be a lack of Dinklage sightings lately, too. They’re probably filming his stuff later, but Conleth is already in Belfast, and I imagine a lot of their scenes are together this season.

  65. Sue the Fury,

    actually I was in front of themyesterday and Faye and her double are almost identical infact the girls in the photo are Faye and Arya’s doubles. I just saw all four of them together today shooting the jump scene. I have a ton of photos and footage that I will rewiew tomorrow.

  66. A dark horse candidate to ride in with soldiers: Littlefinger? Could he be finishing some business in KL before heading back to the North?

  67. Ravyn,

    I think most of Varys’ and Tyrion’s Meereen scenes will be indoors, as these two are not fighters. So… Belfast?

    darksianna,
    How wonderful that you were there! So it looks like a chase and a jump between Arya and The Waif?

  68. darksianna,

    I’m so envious you get to be there and see it first hand!

    Hi-Fi,

    While, yes, I’m partial to all the Nymerias :), I, too, enjoyed Lady Nym in the books (she was my favorite book Sand Snake, by far) and I hope to see Jessica Henwick get to do more in Season 6.

  69. I can only assume that the steps are standing for the steps that lead to the Great Sept of Baelor where Margaery/Loras/The High Sparrow currently are. I think it is pretty clear that it’s someone from the KL cast going out triumphantly against the High Sparrow – could be anyone from Robert Strong to The Queen of Thorns.

  70. Spartan_Halo,

    No, it’s because you interjected into a convo you weren’t involved in, and you stated the books weren’t good in a “It is known” type-of-way. No one appreciates that.

    Also, I’ve never seen you here before.

    So, that’s why you were presumed to be a troll.

  71. Matt: He is a major character. End of discussion.

    None of that makes Randyll a major character: character development does. As he’s had zero screen time and thus zero character development (no, Sam talking about him means nothing: development is face time on TV), and as the series is mostly done at this stage, he’ll never be more than a supporting character.

    There are many possible options, but we probably should focus on characters that have been on the show for a while and that already are very familiar to the audience. The more I think about it, the more it seems that Daeny is the most probable candidate. We know that she’s going to head west soon and we know that she’d be welcomed as a liberator by lots of people. That does not mean that it cannot be another character: but it does mean that she is the only character that should be having scenes like this.

    Tyrion Pimpslap: Whoever wins their trial.

    Well, there is no reason why all three could not win their trials! I doubt that will happen: but you never know….

  72. Wimsey,

    You’re an idiot. You probably think the Mad King and Rhaegar aren’t major characters because they’ve had zero screen time, too. And I appreciate you only quoting the end of my post and none of the supporting statements I made for why Randyll Tarly is a major character. Exposition exists for development so treating his character like we don’t know anything about him is ignorant. As a book reader, I can’t just ignore the information I’m privy to, especially for SPECULATION.

    Dany won’t be riding around on a horse when she’s got Drogon, and Westeros is not going to welcome Dany with open arms that easily to begin with. If you really believe that, then you haven’t been paying attention.

  73. Sue the Fury,

    If they ARE doing Oldtown and making it a focal point in the end of the season, I can see Dany vs Euron in Oldtown as an episode 9 and her riding triumphantly through a Westerosi city would definitely be a big scene. That said, I doubt Girona is Oldtown, and I’m beginning to doubt if Oldtown is even in at all (it could just be a red hereing in the show).

  74. Matt:

    You’re an idiot. You probably think the Mad King and Rhaegar aren’t major characters because they’ve had zero screen time, too.

    Ummm….

    Don’t know how to break it to you, man, but… Rhaegar and the Mad King… you know… oh man… I’m kinda nervous right now, anticipating your flabbergasted reaction to my bold assertions… Rhaegar and the Mad King are not, repeat, are not major characters.

  75. Matt: You probably think the Mad King and Rhaegar aren’t major characters because they’ve had zero screen time, too.

    I think that they are not major characters because they aren’t even present in the books. I equate being a “major character” with being a protagonist, or at the very least a very prominent secondary character: which, I suspect, is pretty much normal.

    And, as I mentioned, none of the things that you list make you a major character, which is why I didn’t list them. That is decided entirely by character development, and really by having that character development be central to the story. How Daeny, Jon, Arya, Sansa, Bran, etc., evolve over the course of a single season always is central to that season’s story: and that is what makes them the major characters of each season and the whole series.

    Randyll, on the other hand, has had essentially zero character development on the show (as that comes almost entirely from screen time), and next to zero character development in the books (if I recall, he has a few lines in the book that reveal him to be a bit callus. His character has never been central to the story and I really doubt he’ll be one of the character’s providing some crisis of identity that creates this year’s story. Thus, the list of characters on the show who are more major than Randyll at this point include just about all of them with spoken lines.

  76. I’d cream my pants if it were a flashback seen to Ned riding up the steps and into the throne room after taking kings landing during Roberts rebellion, but I know that’s just wishful thinking.

  77. Mr Fixit: Rhaegar and the Mad King are not, repeat, are not major characters.

    Whoops: I just did repeat it! Oh well, I am supposed to be an idiot! 😀

  78. Matt: idiot

    Wimsey may be many things, including an overly harsh critic of AFfC and the riverlands activities, but he is certainly not an idiot. Personally, I like to begin debates with “Jane, you’re an ignorant slut”. That usually starts things off well.

    The MK and R (=J-L) are significant and interesting but hardly main characters.

  79. Mr Fixit: Ummm….

    Don’t know how to break it to you, man, but… Rhaegar and the Mad King… you know… oh man… I’m kinda nervous right now, anticipating your flabbergasted reaction to my bold assertions… Rhaegar and the Mad King are not, repeat, are not major characters.

    Yeah, gotta go with you on this one. Rhaegar and the MK are back story characters, which have their function, but they’re not “major” characters in the current saga. Maybe if HBO actually does a spin off, and does Robert’s Rebellion, then, yeah, they would be major characters within the arc of that drama. But within this story we’re being told…nah. That’s like saying Bilbo is a major character in the Lord of the Rings based on what he did in The Hobbit.

  80. Matt:
    Wimsey,

    You’re an idiot.

    Whoaaa there, Batman! Wimsey has a perfectly good command of reasoned logic though I can safely say he needs to re-read a book (I won’t say which). I saw no sign of idiocy in his arguments. Get a grip.

  81. Ravyn,

    Speaking of, I thought it was interesting when George said he wouldn’t write a series based on Robert’s Rebellion because there’s enough of it in flashbacks in ASOIAF but he would consider doing a series of the time before that. I’m assuming that means with The Children of the Forest, The Others, the Andals…The First Men etc; much like Tolkien’s Silmarillion (though not including the making of the world itself) and Children of Hurin historical stories. I think that sounds great, except at the rate of his writing and his age, I’m not confident about it actually happening.

  82. The newspaper reveals that the scene will contain the horse ridden by one of the show’s major characters, with them riding triumphantly between citizens and soldiers at the cathedral.

    The cathedral looks more like Oldtown than anything Essos. So I’m on the Randyll Tarly saves Oldtown from the Greyjoy if we are to speculate. Could it be that “grans protagonistes de la saga” may be just just a speculation on the Catalan site part?

  83. I wonder on what basis the Spanish newspaper presumes that the scene with the horse will be triumphal. Could be a false first premise. I still like the idea of desperate Tommen charging up those stairs on horseback hoping to spring his queen from prison. I think that cathedral is the new stand-in for the Sept of Baelor.

    As for Randyll, I don’t see his TV-version arc taking him to KL soon. I think that he will get caught up in the defense of Old Town when Euron strikes.

  84. As for the horse sitting the Iron Throne, stranger things have happened in real life: The emperor Caligula made his favorite horse a Roman senator.

  85. Ravyn,

    I kinda like that idea.. He already has ties to the tyrells so he could have helped them. Also the hound was last seen near the vale so say cleganebowl did happen, then he could have arrived there because littlefinger told him about gregor

  86. SciFiFantasyGirl,

    Honestly, I don’t think HBO or GRRM or are interested in doing Robert’s Rebellion. At this point, how much more is there to say about it? Personally, I’d like to see them expand on the idea of the Doom of Valyria, but I don’t know how that would play out. It could just turn into some bland retread of Pompeii.

  87. The Watcher in the Dark: Most likely a flashback of Roberts Rebellion. But is it Robert or Tywin riding around???

    Oh, that is a possibility that I had not considered: and it would not be a huge stretch to refer to either as a major character, particularly if one wanted to be coy.

    Good suggestion.

    Ravyn: Honestly, I don’t think HBO or GRRM or are interested in doing Robert’s Rebellion. At this point, how much more is there to say about it?

    My fear is that a prequel would turn out to be like The White Queen: all of the plot, violence, sex, shock, etc., of Thrones, but none of the story.

  88. Ravyn,

    I know, that’s what I said, lol. He said he WOULDN’T do Robert’s Rebellion but would consider going much further back.

  89. Tywin of the Hill,

    Awesome news!

    Although I am a bit saddened to think of McShane as Randyll Tarly. He will be incredible in the role, but wasn’t it noted McShane would have a small amount of screen time?

  90. Tywin of the Hill: Ian McShane, probably Randyll Tarly.

    I wonder why HBO wouldn’t just announce it if that were the case, as they did with the Dickon actor (part of me thinks the Euron announcement was only because it leaked and it forced their hand)? When they announced McShane and not his role, part of me suspected it was a show or WINDS only character and they thought it would be a huge spoiler.

  91. Tywin of the Hill,

    So Horn Hill will appear only briefly; they’re only filming there for three days, which in terms of production cannot be more than a few scenes. Apparently, there is a Tarly family dinner scene which is interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Gilly and Little Sam.

    These Horn Hill scenes will take place in either episode five or six, as Jack Bender is directing them. So Sam will go to Oldtown first, after all, just as in AFFC.

  92. Is it a ‘personal’ major character or an HBO-major character? Because I believe HBO basically counts everyone in the starring cast (i.e. Jon and Dany, but Bronn and Tormund as well) as major characters.

  93. Matty C,

    “You interjected into a convo you weren’t involved in”,you do know you are on the internet right,if people didn’t involve themselves into other conversations,the discussions would be very short and being a newcomer has nothing to do with anything.

  94. Luka Nieto,

    How do you know about all these details? And I don’t know what the point would be in Sam going to Oldtown for a couple of episodes and then leaving straight away rather that passing through Horn Hill, dropping off Gilly and Baby Sam and then going to Oldtown to begin his training.
    And I believe that Sam’s plan in the books is to send Gilly away without him having to go to Horn Hill in person, and that’s why he goes to Oldtown first.

  95. Matt:
    Wimsey,

    You’re an idiot.

    Dude, naw…

    Nymeria Warrior Queen:
    darksianna,

    I’m so envious you get to be there and see it first hand!

    Hi-Fi,

    While, yes, I’m partial to all the Nymerias :), I, too, enjoyed Lady Nym in the books (she was my favorite book Sand Snake, by far) and I hope to see Jessica Henwick get to do more in Season 6.

    She was my favourite in Season 5, but that may just have been because she barely said anything. 😉

    No really, I like Jessica Henwick and would like to have more focus on Nym this go round!

    Tywin of the Hill:
    CONFIRMED:
    – Castell de Santa Florentina will be Hornhill. Only indoor scenes will be filmed.
    – Ian McShane, probably Randyll Tarly.

    http://lossietereinos.com/reportaje-exclusivo-desde-el-castell-de-santa-florentina-que-confirmamos-que-sera-colina-cuervo/

    Thank you!!! 🙂

  96. Sam the Slayer,

    Well even if they are considered main characters,why would Bronn or hell Tormund of all people would ride triumphantly through KL ? I know that you gave just an example but that’s a weird example to give .

  97. Luka Nieto: Littlefinger at the head of an army from the Vale… where? The stairs of the cathedral can’t be at Winterfell. That makes little sense.

    Yes, the north lacks churches but is not lacking for snow. So, maybe Littlefinger is going to sack Bravos instead! 😀

  98. Sam the Slayer: Because I believe HBO basically counts everyone in the starring cast (i.e. Jon and Dany, but Bronn and Tormund as well) as major characters.

    They probably do not do so. Quite the opposite, they almost certainly separate the “leads” from the “supporting” characters for a variety of reason. Neither Bronn nor Tormund would qualify as leads and thus they probably would not get called “major” characters. If nothing else, then I bet it would be a character that appears in enough episode that the actor could get included in the best ensemble cast nominations.

  99. Wimsey: They probably do not do so.Quite the opposite, they almost certainly separate the “leads” from the “supporting” characters for a variety of reason.Neither Bronn nor Tormund would qualify as leads and thus they probably would not get called “major” characters.If nothing else, then I bet it would be a character that appears in enough episode that the actor could get included in the best ensemble cast nominations.

    We know for a fact that HBO separates the characters (or, more precisely, the actors) into tiers. A tier is Tyrion, Cersei, Jamie, Dany, and Jon. B tier is Arya, Sansa, etc. This isn’t just a case of who they feel is important to the story, but distinguishes how they are paid.

  100. Luka Nieto,

    Not necessarily. It’s possible he stops in Braavos and then goes to Horn Hill and from there to Oldtown. The fact that there aren’t any major Oldtown castings or locations that we know of is a good indication that Oldtown won’t feature a lot next season.

    Let’s say Sam remains in Horn Hill for episodes 5 and 6, then reaches Oldtown in 7. That leaves four episodes (and probably less) for Sam in Oldtown, which means they can get it done without any Marwyns (one-off Maester characters will do, like the one they’re already casting) until Euron takes the city. Then the Tarlys, Dany and Dorne could join for the battle.

  101. Mr Fixit: Ummm….

    Don’t know how to break it to you, man, but… Rhaegar and the Mad King… you know… oh man… I’m kinda nervous right now, anticipating your flabbergasted reaction to my bold assertions… Rhaegar and the Mad King are not, repeat, are not major characters.

    You’re right. That blows my mind that someone would think Rhaegar and Aerys are not major characters. Major = Important. So go ask GRRM if he thinks those two characters are important. I can’t believe I even have to make this argument right now.

  102. Matt,

    No. Generally, major does not equal important, especially in television, where it is usually reserved for primary protagonists.

  103. Quinton,

    Okay, well to me major is different than primary. Primary and major are not exclusive to each other. Secondary and even tertiary characters, especially in ASOIAF & GoT, play “major” roles. So for me that makes them major characters. That doesn’t make them primary characters, but they’re still important.

  104. Matt,

    They are major characters in the world & history of the seven kingdoms, but since they never appear, they certainly aren’t major characters in ASOIAF itself.

  105. Ugh. Can we get off the semantics argument? First, this is a light news organization–they need to grab headlines, so saying it is a major character gets clicks/readers. Second, we’re dealing with another language, so something may have been lost in translation. Third, the “riding in triumph” also seems like speculation on their part as well.
    That said, I’m putting my money on either Tommen finally exerting some will, Loras trying to free Marge, or a champion arriving for a tbc. Robert Strong aboard a large horse would be very imposing and dramatic; the Champion of the Faith would be epic! And perhaps the said Champion would choose to ride a horse up the steps in such a scenario in order to disguise a limp he may have…

    It will most certainly NOT be Danaerys, in my opinion.

  106. House Adder,

    Not the best continuity!

    If Arthur Dayne is going to feature rather just waste him in one scene at the Tower of Joy, introduce him in a flashback of the KG returning triumphantly to KL from defeating the Kingswood Brotherhood. Could possibly factor in Jaime as that’s where he got knighted.
    I dunno. I worry about the number of flashbacks that are going to be in this season.

  107. Clarification: When I said “light news organization” I was referring to DdG, not WotW. WotW is doing the heavy lifting this year! 🙂

  108. Matt: Okay, well to me major is different than primary. P

    Your “to me” is fairly iconoclastic. The others probably are in the majority int that people probably equate “major characters” with protagonists or (at “furthest”) highly prominent secondary characters. Randyll is not remotely close to being one of those.

    Moreover, there is a huge difference between the types of importance involved. What Rhaegar and Aerys did long ago was important for the basic plot setting up the stories. But it was the deeds, not the characters, that are important. That is very different from, say, Jon or Daeny or Arya or Tyrion, where it is the character itself that is important because the stories themselves derive from how those characters evolve.

    If someone involved with the production refers to a “major character,” then chances are very good that they are referring to one of the few “story-driving” characters rather than one of the many “contributes to the plot” characters.

  109. Mihnea:
    House Adder,

    All right I get, that horse will end on the IT, or he will be the one convincing Dany to finnally go to Westeros.

    I’m out. Not going to enter a disscussion about one lousy horse.

    Silver will be the horse that is

    eaten by Dolorous Ed in the predicted long winter, where it was said that horse blood and flesh will be eaten. As an apparent fan of black pudding, only Ed seemed keen on this in the books.
  110. My predictions for this ‘significant character’ on a horse are:

    Kevan Lannister, restoring some sense of sanity.
    Randyll Tarly, collecting the Tyrell kids from the ‘loving’ care of the Sparrows.
    Margaery if the charges against her are dropped. The ordinary people of KL like her a lot.

    I also like the possibility that this is a flashback and we will watch Ned find Jaime on the Iron Throne, but this seems unlikely to me, no matter how fantastic it would be to watch. The reason is that we have already heard this story from Ned’s perspective and Jaime’s. Jaime has told us the fine detail of what happened that day, and the fact that he prevented a grotesque war atrocity by murdering Aerys II Targaryen. Nothing more would be added to the storyline by showing it to us.

    Who I don’t think it will be:

    Tommen – he is apparently in a state of deep depression; I don’t think he is able to ride a horse triumphantly up to his religious adversaries and demand his bride back.

    The Hound – I would love it if it were he, but it won’t be. A crowd of 500 would not be cheering him. Everyone is rightly afraid of him, and contrary to what he tells Sansa, he does derive a perverse satisfaction from scaring people. Nor is it very in character for him to accept public adulation – remember how unwilling he was to be acclaimed for saving Loras’ life?

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