Filming/Locations/News/Production

UPDATED! GoT Returns to Dubrovnik! & Latest Cáceres Set Pics Before Filming

Posted on by Luka Nieto
King's Landing in Season Six, "The Winds of Winter"
King’s Landing in Season Six, “The Winds of Winter”

In all six years of Game of Thrones, many cities have been used to depict King’s Landing: Mdina, Malta for season one; Girona, Spain for season five; and Cáceres for season seven —In fact, below the cut, we bring you new pictures of the set at Cáceres’ Old Town. Yet there is a city that has single-handedly given King’s Landing its unique look: Dubrovnik. This Croatian city has defined the capital of the Seven Kingdoms so thoroughly that, even though it has not been a major location for a few years now, the VFX teams still use photos of Dubrovnik to make up cityscape shots such as the one pictured above.

We had hoped the production would return to shoot at the beautiful Dalmatian city, as they briefly did for season six. In fact, only a few weeks ago we reported on casting calls going on in the area, precisely for this mid-December… Yet the Embassy Films production company handles many other clients, so it was far from a certain thing.

That is until today. Thanks to a cast member no less, we have enough reason to believe Game of Thrones is back in Dubrovnik for season seven. Read why below the cut!

Lena Headey has always been a pretty active social media user. There, she is not only hilarious but also uses this wide-reaching platform to shed light on social issues. And, every now and then, she shares something related to the production that clues us in. Today’s first photo was one of those, though you’ll have to pay attention to the details:

In case it’s not clear, those are not the legs, feet and hands of an adult and a child, but those of a true giant and an average sized-woman with an always curious fashion sense: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Lena Headey… on a Croatia Airlines plane.

Funnily enough, this wouldn’t be the first time these two make such a surprise visit. Croatia in general ceased to be the go-to location for the show after season five, when they moved on to Spain (in particular using the Old Town of Girona for King’s Landing,) yet they did return to Croatia very briefly, for a single scene: Cersei Lannister, escorted by Gregor Clegane, at the private royal port to receive Myrcella… Or, well, her corpse. The parallel with the princess’ departure from that same harbor back in season two must have been too juicy to pass up —They simply had to return to the same place. That decision must now lead us to wonder which Dubrovnik location for Cersei, the Mountain, and perhaps others is so iconic that it’s considered irreplaceable.

UPDATE: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is also in Croatia. He shared a photo asking us to guess where he was. Maybe he wasn’t counting on the unparalleled brain-power of the Internet hive-mind, but soon enough it was clear he was at Zagreb’s Christmas Market:

Quiztime. Where am I?

Una foto publicada por Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (@nikolajwilliamcw) el

Meanwhile, in Cáceres, filming begins tomorrow, on the 13th —Only to wrap up a day later if the City Council’s claims were correct. The many locations at the Monumental City have appeared ready for a few days now, but they are actually working on the sets until the very last minute, as shown by Javier Borrega‘s newly shared photographs.

The Plaza de Santa María has been turned into a Lannister stronghold:

The narrow Cuesta de la Compañía between Plaza de San Jorge and Plaza de San Pablo is now a dilapidated alleyway in what appears to be the poor part of King’s Landing:

Finally, there is the most heavily decorated set at Plaza de las Veletas:

This square contains a marketplace and a tavern, but that may not be the whole story, as Borrega saw here what seemed to him to be artificial snow. Is winter finally coming to the capital? At least a light sprinkling of snow? Sadly, there is no photo to corroborate this claim, but we should know if it’s true soon enough, as filming begins tomorrow!

UPDATE: There is a new photo showing the Arco de la Estrella location at the top of Plaza Mayor, now decorated in golden lions just like the adjacent Plaza de Santa María:

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Luka Nieto

44 Comments

  4. Is this the infamous parade? Can’t wait to see what my queen is up to! Can I have a cheesy scene where she does charity Margaery style? 😛

  6. I am going to guess that Caceres filming will involve

    the meeting between Tyrion and Jaime, and the one between Davos and Gendry. The poorer section of KL might be used for the latter one. And if the much awaited parade is happening, it will be filmed in Dubrovnik.

  7. ghost of winterfell,

    Those are my thoughts as well. Though if they are filming something so elaborate at Dubrovnik one thinks we would’ve heard even more about casting of extras and set building, but there have only been false alarms (e.g. they are building a Robin Hood set in Dubrovnik too.) So we’ll see.

  8. I wonder what Lena and Hafthor could be filming.. If it wasn’t for all the parade talk and the casting call I would think it would be a small scene, like the Myrcella one because there literally have been no sets prepared or anything, have there? I was in Dubrovnik last month and the city is small so one would notice I would think.

  10. This is total guesswork and likely far off but the sets in Caceres almost look like they are going for an economically devastated look. The only “supplies” in site are some unknown dust covered sacks of something unknown in a broken down wagon and the tables, etc. don’t seem to be groaning with plenty.

  16. Apollo,

    Actually there’s also some pics of Maergerys litter from S3, so I’m wondering if they’re recycling the prop or if those pics are from a while back. The fabric drapings over the alleyways are a fairly recent thing though..

  20. Jay Targ,

    So NCW is not in Caceres either ? Interesting. So what are they filming in Spain, just

    Davos and Gendry? Maybe some scenes of commoners starving and rioting, if Highgarden stops sending food supplies? This would provide motivation to Jaime to sack Highgarden.

  22. Apollo,

    That’s from season four. Look at the other tweets from that woman; She’s just retweeting old stuff. We had a false alarm with that too.

  23. Am I alone in thinking that this is…

    Spoilers from All incl. Leaks

    A captured Yara being paraded through the streets of KL by a victorious Euron?

    n.b

    I actually went to Dubrovnik this year and I was really taken aback at how little editing they actually do to the cityscape in some of the establishing shots. I have no idea if the idea for the style of KL came from Dubrovnik, or they found it as a happy accident, but it really did feel like I was there at some points lol. The fanbase on here are probably the only people who can relate to silly things like that.

  24. Mio,

    if they flew from Spain they must switch planes in Zagreb and it’s just a 40 mins flight to Dubrovnik. Maybe they’ll be in Zagreb for a short time before departing to Dubrovnik. Zagreb is in full swing for holidays with it’s Advend and all that….

  25. Lannister flags all around town- Truth being told, they could barely contain themselves after Robert diedd. Not subtle!
    My take is that they are always trying to overcompensate for a rather serious inferiority complex.

  26. Hal.E.Lujah,

    Dubrovnik completely influenced the look and feel of Kings Landing. Its an amazing place. Ive been there 6 times for work, and missed GOT filming EVERY time :-/

  30. ghost of winterfell,

    KL scenes involving Tyrion and Davos should be happening in 705 which means after Jaime sacks Highgarden, does the ambush battle in 705 and returns to KL. Therefore, if the Cáceres scenes will involve some kind of parading (IMO, the end result of the ambush battle may be so ambiguous that both sides will be able to proclaim themselves victors), all that parading will be seen from Tyrion’s & Davos POV, which wouldn’t require NCW to be actually present in Cáceres (for instance, the showrunners may use some body double if Jaime is to be seen from afar, or maybe Tyrion’s & Davos will see only the Lannister troops passing by, etc.) Tyrion’s meeting with Jaime will be happening in some stealth location, most probably indoors; hence it will be or has already been filmed in NI studios.

  31. Jay Targ,
    phantomcloud,

    Hmm…so Caceres is KL and it involves

    sand snakes.

    But Cersei or Jaime is not involved because those actors are filming elsewhere, so my guess is that in Caceres

    LEAKS

    they may be shooting Euron killing sand snakes in KL

  32. Jay Targ,
    Hal.E.Lujah,

    If the extravagance in Dubrovnic means Euron’s triumph (and that would make sense, because one of the most iconic KL locations were all those walls and battlements with an open view to the sea), then I guess Euron will be parading some captives. And here we have the Sand Snakes in town. All comes together.

  33. Inga,

    Sorry, I mixed up a bit. I imagine that Dubrovnik and Cáceres scenes may form one single parade sequence. So, it might be not that important, which actors are where: their characters will be in KL all together.

  34. innocence,

    There’s no such leak.

    That is about Euron killing them in King’s Landing. The death of Sand Snakes was first reported here btw. And Lena’s not present. Why would Ellaria and SS be filming any outdoor scenes in KL anyway? Nothing like that mentioned in any leak. BTW Any sightings of Pilou and/or Gemma Whelan?

  35. phantomcloud,

    LEAKS (or not, I’m not sure 🙂 I thought that part came from the leaks)

    Euron may not kill them on the streets but he may be chasing and catching them.

  36. innocence,

    So Euron will be hanging around KL’s fleabottom and just stumble upon them? Does he even know what those traitorous Martells look like? He has never met them. LOL And when will it be? After or before his naval battle with Yara and Theon?

  37. phantomcloud,

    There may be explanations to these details, it’s not like it can’t happen just because we don’t know how it will happen. Where do you think he will capture them if not KL? When: It depends on when the naval battle will happen; if it happens before Euron arrives in KL, then he captures sand snakes later. He will be hanging around in KL with Cersei, he has time.

  38. Inga: I guess Euron will be parading some captives. And here we have the Sand Snakes in town. All comes together.

    I actually have thought myself into thinking that this could fit A storyline/plot fairly well. I honestly like it better than Cersei parading herself around the people of KL that hate her, well protected or not.

    We believe that during a sea battle Euron captures at least one of the Sand Snakes, perhaps killing the others, while also either capturing or killing Yara. (Leaks say he kills two SS, imprisons Ellaria and makes her watch Tyene die from poison, and that he captures Yara) What we don’t know is WHERE he takes those he captures. Without thinking about it I’d assumed Pyke, but if he’s working with Cersei, delivering the murderers of her daughter to her makes perfect sense. Perhaps it’s even his ‘bargaining chip.’ Parading Ellaria and Tyene through the streets to the Red Keep as killers of the innocent princess is a reasonable scene.
  39. The thing is, maybe Elaria and Tyenne escaped Euron and are now in kingslanding for something and the other 2 sand snakes are already dead, OR and must probably Elaria and tyenne are bringed to the streets of kings landing to be executed in public as enemies of the crown and for poisining the princess, and if this is the case obara maybe escaped and the other sand snake is sure she will die, the actress is already in other show.

    the guy who leaked all the plot said tyenne would die poisoned by euron as mycerla has died, maybe this is the scene, but no one has seen Pilou Asbaek in caceres until now right?. He said 2 sandsnakes will die by euron, so obara will be the one who will live.

  40. oh yes the big parade Lads inexplicably failed to mention when talking about Euron, Ellaria and Sand Snakes. But he failed to mention quite a few other things when specifically asked about certain characters so it’s not surprising. There won’t be a KL parade without Cersei.

  41. phantomcloud,

    Any parade like the one we are imagining would end in the Red Keep, which would be filmed in Belfast. Maybe it already has been filmed! Lena Headey is in Croatia, currently, with Hafthor and Nikolai Coster Waldau.

  42. Aguero,

    That’s Nymeria on the photo I think. Besides

    the way he worded it, it sounds like all 3 Sand Snakes perish during the naval battle or one of them later. ‘Kills 2 Sand Snakes, imprisons Ellaria and then makes her watch as Tyene dies from poison’ So Tyene would be the captured one alongside Ellaria.

  43. phantomcloud,

    I think all the Sand Snakes will be in the naval battle with the Martell banners and possibly commading something. They won’t be difficult to spot.

  44. Check the free folk people

    the parade is EURON’s Victory Parade, its the final episode, and he got them all – Ellaria, Yara, and Sand Snakes. And his horse looks absolutely awesome, just as Pilou does now in his new costume!

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