Game of Thrones season 6 Spain scouting shifts from Navarre to Almería

Tabernas Desert
Tabernas desert. Photo: Roberto Bubnich

Recently, it was reported that Game of Thrones had their eye on the Bardenas Reales Natural Park in Navarre for season 6, but a new article suggests the show is looking elsewhere in Spain now.

Last week, a report in Diario de Navarra said that HBO’s people were interested in the semi-desert badlands in northern Spain as a potential shooting site, but were unable to confirm it with Fresco Films Services. (Fresco handles production for Game of Thrones in Spain.)

Today, Diario de Almería says that the city of Almería is almost certainly going to be a new location for season 6 of the show.

Almería has much to offer but most importantly it has the Tabernas Desert, a semi-desert along the lines of the Bardenas Natural Park in Navarre. If the city is confirmed as a location, it’s unlikely the show would require Bardenas, because of the expensive redundancy.

Another advantage of going with this location would be that it’s located in Andalucía, the same province that contains Seville, and HBO worked with the locals and the Andalucía Film Commission last year successfully.

Almería has been home to be many film productions over the years, including the recent Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Thanks to our friends at Los Siete Reinos for the heads up!

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

56 Comments

  1. I have no idea what are they looking for since the plot from Dorne will move to KL next season if the reports are true about Myrcella and Tyrstaneee going there…

    Maybe a Dothrakeee sea in the winter?

  2. Hoyti Von Totiy:
    I have no idea what are they looking for since the plot from Dorne will move to KL next season if the reports are true about Myrcella and Tyrstaneee going there…

    Maybe a Dothrakeee sea in the winter?

    Almost definitely a battle on the dorne-stormlands / dorne-reach border. Atleast.. that’s my bet. I do not expect all of Dorne to end this season.. I do think we will no longer see sunspear as of next season.

  3. Theory:

    This will be where Dany establishes her home base after she lands in Dorne.
  4. dragonbringer:
    its vaes dothark obviously

    That’s my thought as well. It’s all but confirmed that Dany will encounter some Dothraki in the finale, and one of the Season 6 casting calls is very likely for a Dothraki warrior (possibly Khal Jhaqo).

    That glorious moment when the Khaleesi will return to Meereen (hopefully) with a new khalasar at her back…

  5. It looks like the criticism of their decision to pretend that some coastal sand dunes in Northern Ireland with really lush vegetation as a backdrop as Dorne is going to be remedied. Thank the Lord (of Light)!

    Seriously, in order to get that much marram grass to grow out of sand you need at least 200 days of rain per year, and not a single dry month. Just because it has sand does NOT make it a suitable desert. It is known.

  6. Tower of Joy Flashback sequence…Season 6 will definitely reveal who Jon’s parents are and what better way then a Tower of Joy scene.

  7. From the Almeria Tourism Board website: “Almeria is famed for its deep woods and abundant motte”. Hmm…

  8. dragonbringer:
    its vaes dothark obviously

    That was my thoughts too. That picture sure reminded me of the way it was described except maybe CGI the arch to look like the structure from the books and get a little more grass in there. (not sure what their restrictions are but that should be do-able. Here where I live in Louisiana they were filming a movie that required cotton fields near a plantation house. They tried to grow them but when the plants didn’t produce fast enough for the filming apparently they went and got a lot of cotton balls and glued them on).

  9. Mark,

    Dammit, Dragon Demands! You just went and made the White Walkers less interesting. I’m sticking with show canon on this one.

  10. Hoyti Von Totiy: Another season of Dany in Essos? Really?

    And what is she going to do with that Khallisar she cannot do with Drogon alone?

    It’s the GoT version of the old air power v. boots on the ground debate. Only with dragons and horse hide boots. 🙂

  11. They’ve already “been to” Vaes Dothrak in season one. Are they going to change how it looks?

  12. The Clarke/Dinklage joint interview was lovely. Emilia really is very charming. It sounds from her joy at the debate scene between Tyrion and Daenerys and a scene that wasn’t shouting, executing someone, or speaking in Valyrian, that she’s as fed up with the Imperious Daenerys shtick as the audience.

    Reading the article, it sounded as if Almeria was confirmed along with Girona and Peniscola, not “almost certainly” confirmed. Spanish isn’t my first language, though.

    …Sort of weird that Sunspear–and by extension Doran, Areo, and any Sand Snakes who stay in Dorne–appears to have been a one-season-only deal. I guess D&D didn’t want to push their luck with the Alcazar, but it seems strange to go to the trouble of casting the Dorne crew–Trystane and whatever Sand Snakes go to KL–if they were only going to be in one season, especially given that Doran has had very little to do.

  13. Alix the Direwolf:
    It looks like the criticism of their decision to pretend that some coastal sand dunes in Northern Ireland with really lush vegetation as a backdrop as Dorne is going to be remedied.Thank the Lord (of Light)!

    Seriously, in order to get that much marram grass to grow out of sand you need at least 200 days of rain per year, and not a single dry month.Just because it has sand does NOT make it a suitable desert.It is known.

    Not all of Dorne is a desert. It is known.

  14. Clob:
    They’ve already “been to” Vaes Dothrak in season one.Are they going to change how it looks?

    They did it with King’s Landing, and that was from Season 1 –> 2, not Season 1 –> 6. But really, we’re all just guessing at this point, having not read book 6…

  15. Sword of the Morning,

    I agree with you, and agree with your comment on another post that Dany will land in Dorne in this Season 5 finale. I’m not sure how other people aren’t considering this. They’re speeding up the books and have to wrap everything up in 2 more seasons. Dany ending this season in Westeros would be impactful on the viewership and give hope for next season. Another season of her in Essos (Even partly) is unlikely, in my opinion. That, along with the fact that there was a “mystery actor” on set in Spain and that the Sand Snakes say something important happens in Dorne, I’m confident Dany will be there.

  16. Dolorous Methuselah: It’s the GoT version of the old air power v. boots on the ground debate.Only with dragons and horse hide boots.

    Robb Snow: Why have just one when you can have both?

    Why not just nuke it from orbit, just to be sure? 🙂

  17. Snake,

    As a non book reader, I can’t vouch for your theory, but I agree that it seems D&D are as anxious to get her out of Essos (or, at least, Mereen), as the audience is. Hopefully, that doesn’t mean the Tyrion-Dany power coupling was just for that one scene in E7.

  18. Clob,

    Wasn’t most of Vaes Dothrak in S1 in a tent? I just remember one quick establishing shot, but maybe I’m wrong. Since the budget has gone way up since S1, I wouldn’t hold any visuals to be canon.

  19. Snake,

    Shoving Dany and company into Dorne in the finale would be way too abrupt. They’ll tie up loose ends in Meereen halfway through Season 6 at the most. If they’re heading to Dorne, they might arrive just in time to face the Ironborn who should be raiding the Reach at or near that time. That would be epic.

  20. M,

    I read the original article too, and they did say filming was confirmed for Almeria, Girona and Peniscola and they have even given a schedule for extras casting. So it seems Almeria is a go!

  21. Snake,

    If the Dothraki don’t add anything truly essential to endgame that only they can provide, it’s possible the show could cut that part and have Dany meet the Martells immediately. But I don’t think so – she will encounter the Dothraki again.

    Another possibility for the show?

    Doran sends the Sand Snakes to Mereen to seek out Dany. They meet Tyrion and company, and Tyrion hears about Jaime/Myrcella, etc. from them. Maybe even Varys will be with the Snakes and he and Tyrion will reunite that way.

    Maybe one of the Snakes gets greedy and tries to steal Rhaegal or Viserion, getting roasted in the process. The Quentyn storyline will then be adapted.

  22. M,

    It will not be a one-season-only deal. As if D&D will change their adaptation plans because people didn’t like the storyline. It would most likely motivate them to do it much better next year. Besides, if Doran moves to Sunspear, the Water Gardens (Alcazar) will no langer be needed.

  23. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    Same here, though I think it bears mentioning that maybe “the Night King”, as David Benioff referred to him, is, even in the show, merely the title that has been attributed by the writers to the current leader of the White Walkers, and not necessarily THE Night’s King from thousands of years ago. We’ll find out in due time I guess.

  24. Simeon,

    No. But the stuff that isn’t desert is mountainous, rocky and a LONG way from Sunspear. The lushest place in the whole of Dorne is the Water Gardens, built at incredible expense (of water) for the first Daenerys Targaryan.

    Even the main river valley is really only gets greenish after quite a long winter, which has not even arrived there yet. Nowhere looks like the Emerald Isle.

  25. am i the only one who realises this photo of that monument is from one of the most iconic scenes in a western movie? Once Upon a Time In The West. warning; the scene its used in is a spoiler for the movie.

    I’m sure the scene was filmed in monument valley USA not spain.

    :S

  26. M,

    The Andalusia Tourist Board and the Real Alcazar have already announced that Game of Thrones is going back there this year so there must still be some Dorne plot based at the Water Gardens.

  27. There’s no clues that dorne as a location will be a significant portion in TWoW since all the main players there are moving off base for their missions. On the other hand, Dany will be with the Dothraki. That’s not even speculation. Knowing GRRM, she’ll be there for some time developing back to true Blood & Fire form while picking up her fierce Dothrai army. The most obvious answer is Dothraki.

  28. That photo screams Vaes Dothrak to me. She has to go back there, this time minus Khal Drogo, but plus Drogon. 😀

  29. TheNed,

    You only need the conversation between Ned and Lyanna. The rest of the scene has no purpose in regards to the show as they have no background or build to what happens there. Waste of time and money filming in a location which is needed when it can be done in a studio in N.Ireland.

    Hoping that it’s not more Dorne. Most likely will be more Dothraki Sea especially in regard to the synopsis for the last episode that appears to be mirroring the books.

  30. King in the North Carolina:
    From the Almeria Tourism Board website: “Almeria is famed for its deep woods and abundant motte”. Hmm…

    Haha, good try but I think Almeria is basically a desert 😉

    M: Reading the article, it sounded as if Almeria was confirmed along with Girona and Peniscola, not “almost certainly” confirmed. Spanish isn’t my first language, though

    You are right

    HBOsWail:
    am i the only one who realises this photo of that monument is from one of the most iconic scenes in a western movie? Once Upon a Time In The West. warning; the scene its used in is a spoiler for the movie.

    I’m sure the scene was filmed in monument valley USA not spain.

    :S

    I’m not sure about Once Upon a Time in the West but Almeria was were many Spaghetti Westerns were filmed, so it could be the case with that movie too

  31. HBOsWail:
    am i the only one who realises this photo of that monument is from one of the most iconic scenes in a western movie? Once Upon a Time In The West. warning; the scene its used in is a spoiler for the movie.

    I’m sure the scene was filmed in monument valley USA not spain.

    :S

    I swear to God that was the first thing that popped in my head when I saw that arch. Greatest film ever made.

  32. TheNed,

    Since they are filming all over Spain they could film ToJ in Hercules Tower in the northwest of the country, even in Badum Tower which is actually in Peñíscola IIRC. lol. ToJ is not supposed to be surrounded by the ocean though.

  33. Pau: Ok, you made me check and yeah, it was filmed in Almería

    http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g2355762-d1805968-i35393398-Tabernas_Desert-Province_of_Almeria_Andalucia.html

    I figured it out. The one in the photo on the site appears to be a recreation probably in celebration of the locals that most of the film was filmed in Spain, probably that location. But several Iconic scenes, particularly the one i mentioned in my previous post, were filmed in monument valley. The original (Real) Monarch used in the film is still in monument valley though almost completely destroyed.

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSRY177tRk0/UbdPJA4HvUI/AAAAAAAADTI/rzez0MusFRA/s1600/1005072_10151536814449125_345393285_n.jpg

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5sgEtbx9QA/UbdPBHVXnzI/AAAAAAAADSo/fF56H7VJBnI/s1600/430000_10151536814774125_219190338_n.jpg

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYWasRwOBSs/UbdN_ntJAGI/AAAAAAAADSM/imlMuz99ZMI/s1600/1001306_10151536814169125_1287939588_n.jpg

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ddnBPsYQTk0/UbdO_9SoovI/AAAAAAAADSY/tUAlg5KxWos/s1600/8685_10151536814249125_923677152_n.jpg

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