Game of Thrones Saturday news roundup: video, casting and spoilers!

Quarry at Knocklayd Mountain
Quarry at Knocklayd Mountain, in 2012

It’s been an interestingly varied week in Game of Thrones news. With casting updates galore and odd filming delays, we’re always kept on our toes. Here’s your Saturday morning news roundup!

The latest in casting:

Game of Thrones is currently casting for a Distinguished Man. He’s in his 60’s to mid-70’s. They’re looking for someone white-haired with aristocratic features, capable of great intensity. He must have a great deal of natural authority.

The part only requires a couple of days’ filming but is described as
“impactful” nonetheless. He shoots the week commencing October 29th in Northern Ireland.


Filming news from Northern Ireland:

We’ve also heard from local sources that Game of Thrones is currently filming in the disused quarry on the side of Knocklayd Mountain, near Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. Pink GOT signs have spotted in the area for the past 4 or 5 days and the film crew vehicles were around Knocklayd, yesterday.

Our friends in the area who saw the production crew around the quarry didn’t notice snow or anything like it around the quarry yet that would make it similar in appearance to Magheramorne Quarry, which has doubled as the Wall since season 1.

We’ve also heard that Game of Thrones was shooting this year at the back of Aghanloo Wood, though we don’t know when. There were some sign sightings in late summer pointing to nearby Binevenagh. GoT always needs forests, so there’s plenty of reasons for these locations. The new quarry site is a bit of a puzzle. Perhaps they’ll decorate the set more…or perhaps they need to take footage of a quarry face that’s in a different state than the Magheramorne one? Lots of possibilities here.


And the latest in filming news from Spain:

We have a spoiler video update from El Chorrillo, today! A fan captured the filming of a big scene the other night, confirming the fate of one set as discussed in another spoiler-laden post about Daenerys and Almería filming.

SPOILERS beyond this point:

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As you can see, the camera captures the Dothraki temple being destroyed by fire.

Meanwhile, Almería is filling up with the stars of Game of Thrones. This week, Peter Dinklage, Iain Glen, Nathalie Emmanuel and Jacob Anderson have been spotted in the province. Almería is providing multiple locations for the show and so we don’t know yet which sites the actors may be filming at.

Melty.es is reporting that filming yesterday included 40 extras playing slaves and many Dothraki extras, and that later, Daenerys, Jorah, Daario, and the leader of the khalasar joined them. Melty says they’ve seen the filming of the slaves with Emilia Clarke and the head of the Dothraki. Later on, another scene was shot involving a confrontation. They claim their sources tell them Staz Nair may have been playing the head of the Dothraki group in this scene, but it’s unconfirmed.

Thanks to WotW readers Richard, Kargaryen, Morgan, and Lady Mormont for their assistance with the post!

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

41 Comments

  1. Yeah they’re not recasting the Blackfish.

    And they’d need him for a lot sooner than the 29th if that were the case, anyway, since Riverrun filming is like now.

  2. McMannis:
    Maybe Blackfish recast? I hope not…but it might be so

    I would hope Blackfish would have a larger role than 1 week filming, and given that (I think) Riverrun was rescheduled to film next week, I would think if it were the Blackfish, he would need to film then.

    I really hope we start getting smaller lords.

    They have the budget after all, and it better demonstrates how fucked the Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters are if everyone is rising against them.

  3. Guessing at some point there’s a meeting of the Northern lords, trying to figure out whether to help Jon. Given all of Jon’s baggage (deserter, bastard) a figure with great authority would be useful to cut through the bullshit and say “Right lads. We’re doing this”!

  4. Lost track…. do we have a confirmed return of the three eyed raven-greenseer actor? Or is that filming already…

  5. Watching that video above for El Chorrillo, it strikes me again how complicated these types of filming can be, and how much work they involve, not to mention the enormous numbers of people. No wonder showrunners are exhausted! 🙂

    House Adder:
    Could it be the Mad King, Dany’s father flashback?

    I don’t know if this guy could be, but I do believe that at some point we need to see him in flashbacks. In my opinion, he is one of the most important figures of the past among those who shaped the present.

  6. This is a cool video, but ‘All Rights Reserved’? Are we to assume that the fan officially licensed the music as well?

  7. I’m kinda confused with the Dany storyline now. Some Dothraki and slaves were reunited then Dany arrives with Jorah, Daario and the new khal and there’s a confrontation? The scene is supposed to happen before VD? Is she freeing slaves again? So she is in some sort of control when she arrives at Vaes Dothraki? Why Jorah and Daario are spying her in VD if they did meet before that? Or were them spying on her in those scenes filmed yesterday too?

    Actually, I am very confused.

  8. could be Titus Blackwood. If they’re doing the Bracken/Blackwood situation with Jamie as the diplomat, I’ll be very happy. Bracken as a loud-mouth womanizer and Blackwood as the stout, aristocratic lord. And he has a raven feather cloak, cause there used to be a weirwood at his keep, or maybe there still is, i cant recall. Anyway he’s cool

  9. Thinking again if the filming yesterday is supposed to happen before VD, that group of dothraki from the final episode of the last season probably is still having Dany as a captive, and might reunite her with more slaves from various cities and carry them to VD. I just don’t know what kind of confrontation Jorah and Daario could actually represent for a whole Khalasar. The dothraki don’t take shit from anyone, they would probably be killed.

  10. Hodor’s Bastard,

    It’s such an impressive set that it almost confuses me!

    I mean, they REALLY spared no expense. It looks even more elaborate than Hardhome. So it’s gotta be consequential and big, not just a brief thing with no major dramatic payoff, or else I can’t see why they would go to these lengths —almost 30 Lannister tents and 50 Frey tents, all that siege artillery and the enormous tower / gallows, a reportedly functioning drawbridge, the gates of Riverrun, and an interior set comprising at least two big courtyards. Is it just me or does this scream “big setpiece” to anyone else? Certainly bigger than anything that happened in Jaime’s AFFC few chapters in Riverrun. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that whatever we’re getting at Riverrun isn’t just from AFFC, but also from TWOW —or at least invented material.

  11. Something came up to me in regards to that kid who was cast a couple of days ago .. the one who looks like Bran .. many people here suggested a Bran Recast .. but what if he is actually Bran .. a Flashback of a child bran .. and Isaac could play the grown up Bran looking at the small version of himself in some sort of plot .. I don’t know .. sounds stupid .. but I’ve seen worse ..

  12. Luka Nieto,

    I’m thinking that the ship w/greenscreen is for something else (Euron/Yara, Redwyne navy, a return from Essos…?) so there could be multiple uses for this large set. But still, our hopes for the Riverlands/Riverrun relevance may have great payoff. This has my head spinning.

  13. Hodor’s Bastard,

    The ship has always been there. It’s been used for every ship we’ve ever seen; it’s simply dederessed each time. I didn’t include the ship in my list because of that. It’s got nothing to do with the Riverrun set 😉

    The tents, the siege engines, the drawbridge, the gates and the interior sets behind the gates are all connected, though. It’s an amazing set.

  14. I agree that Lord Blackwood is a very strong candidate for ‘distinguished man’ but there are other options:

    1. Sir Denys Mallister. A long shot and he probably would have appeared by now or been mentioned by the other NW members.

    2. Lord Jason Mallister. With the Riverlands storyline back, he would likely be involved in any move against the Frey’s there.

    3. An as yet unseen northern Lord; but which one? Wyman Manderly was my first thought, but there was no mention of his ‘size’ and the requirement for a visible authority figure make me think no. So, maybe a Flint or Umber???

    4. Lord Mathias Rowan. He’s not appeared in the books or on screen, but whenever he is mentioned it is with respect and as someone who is listened to. He is one of the leading figures in The Reach and could be expected to be seen alongside one or both of Mace Tyrell or Randyll Tarly.

    5. Lord Rodrik Harlaw. With a revived Iron Islands storyline and Theon and Asha likely to return there, ‘the reader’ is a plausible candidate.

  15. Athelstan: 1. Sir Denys Mallister. A long shot and he probably would have appeared by now or been mentioned by the other NW members.

    He was in Season 5, in the scene of the Choosing of the next Lord Commander. And he was mentioned in the first episode of the season, too, by Sam to Gilly.

  16. I like Distinguished Gentleman for a Citadel Maester, too. But I secretly hope it’s Manderly because I so like that story & his role in the books.

  17. The thought didn’t even cross my mind, but you guys might be right. Who is more of a distinguished old gentleman than a stereotypical maester, after all?

  18. I’d love to meet the Reader! Sounds like a good fit for this distinguished-looking older aristocrat.

  19. Arnold,

    Balon doesn’t look that old (though the actor is older than he looks), and he wouldn’t exactly be described as “distinguished.” He also wouldn’t have only two lines if they bother to bring back the character before… you know what.

  20. Just wanted to jump in and say that I got my WOTW hat and sticker today – perfect! Awesomely distressed and looks great. Stacker is already on my car. Good stuff, guys :-)!

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