Yesterday Game of Thrones was busy shooting at one Spanish castle, in Almodóvar del Río and now things are getting exciting at another – Trujillo Castle. First reported as a Game of Thrones location back in August, the fortress will be hosting filming this week. It was never announced exactly what part the location would be playing in season 7, but a new photo has given us a pretty good idea of it!
It’s worth noting that Trujillo Castle shooting will be using the same pool of extras as the ones from Almodóvar del Río and Cáceres, according to the casting call from September. The casting notice asked for a variety of people but particularly men with military experience. Yesterday we saw soldiers heading for the set in Almodóvar del Río, confirming our speculation that the extras would be playing soldiers, and we may see something similar in Trujillo over the next few days.
The castle has been closed for the last week as GoT’s production crew readies the location for filming. News originally indicated there would be about three days of filming at the site, but newer reports suggest there may be as little as one day of filming. Perhaps the weather delay caused a change in schedule?
Regardless of scheduling issues, there’s news already! A photo has surfaced, giving us an idea of what role Trujillo Castle may be playing. Image and more spoilers below the cut!
That’s most definitely a House Lannister flag atop Trujillo Castle! Based on everything we know, and the general look of the place, it’s safe to say that Trujillo Castle is playing the part of Casterly Rock, the Lannisters’ western stronghold, next season. Casterly Rock is aptly named, built on top of a rocky point by the sea. With a little CGI, Trujillo Castle will work well for it.
As we reported yesterday, in season 7 there will be an assault on Casterly Rock by Grey Worm and the Unsullied, on behalf of Daenerys. Hoy reported in August that filming in Trujillo will be focused in the courtyard of the castle but that’s not officially confirmed at this time. It’s always possible the show has expanded their ideas since then, and of course GoT may film more Casterly Rock scenes back in the studio in Northern Ireland to supplement location shooting.
Speaking of yesterday, we have more images today from this week’s filming in Almodóvar! We can see the Tyrell men bloodied up, plus Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Courtesy of DiarioCordoba:
There are more at the source, so enjoy!
The province of Cáceres has been bustling with activity these past few days. Over in Malpartida’s Los Barruecos, crews are getting ready for some action (shown above.)
As far as the schedule for the next couple months, Hoy quotes Alfredo Aguilera, mayor of Malpartida de Cáceres, as providing the following dates:
Trujillo Castle, Tuesday, November 15
Malpartida de Cáceres, from November 16 to 18, on a private estate in Las Breñas.
Barrueco de Arriba (Los Barruecos), November 19, “Where they will be for 22 days” (that is, until December 10), says the mayor.
Lastly, they’ll film at the Monumental Town aka Old Town of Cáceres. Though some locations are yet to be announced, the Plaza de las Veletas will be closed for filming from December 12th-14th. Hoy also notes that GoT staff has hotel bookings in the area reserved until December 22nd.
So the Game of Thrones staff isn’t even close to done!
What do you think of the Casterly Rock news? And the ever-shifting dates? It’s keeping things interesting, that’s for sure.
Aegon Targaryen will rise.
looks like 2 different groups of soldiers. Who’s going to make it out of season 7 alive?
Well .. it certainly looks .. rocky !
*ba dum tsss*
On a serious note, it depicts the Lannisters’ strength and ferocity, it looks strong and unbreachable. Reminds me of Helm’s Deep a little bit. I never pictured Casterly Rock with a lot of green or vegetation or flora so this is fitting. I love that the stone has a goldish hue to it, makes it look harsh and arid. Great choice of location on GoT’s part.
I suspect Dec 22 will be the last day spent shooting in Spain and all teams will be moving to NI and Iceland after the holidays.
Thanks for the photos guys !
Lisa,
He may rise temporarily but I highly doubt he’d want to be associated with that crazy family. They won’t cover it in the series because there isn’t enough time but I expect in the books when he finds out Ned was his uncle and not his father – he will eventually think about everything he risked to protect him. That’s why if he lives to the end, I’d like to think he would take the ‘Stark’ name as a way to repay Ned for everything he did to protect him. I can think of no better way to honor his sacrifice than to ensure the ‘Stark’ family name continues.
I know this is random but I am a big lover of art and architecture and design and Dwell magazine has a profile on Lena and her L.A. home. It is so beautiful and quirky! Just something nice and mindless for anyone who enjoys this kind of stuff.
https://www.dwell.com/article/lena-headeys-off-camera-castle-4b9ddab3
I will be genuinely disappointed if his name his Aegon! There are so many other good Targ names that weren’t given to a sibling and until they say it on the show or in the books I am in denial lol!!!
I guess they will shoot more interior scenes, cause otherwise I think CR and HG will only appear briefly; maybe they are doing a siege like in Meeren in season 4.
Kathy,
I agree, he’s always been a Stark at heart, he was raised as one, grew up among them and he is the White Wolf and the King in the North ! His parentage shouldn’t change that and Ned deserves to be honored like this.
Ghost is the best IMO !
Starks ftw !
So Almodovar isn’t both strongholds. It is Highgarden while Trujillo is Casterly Rock.
Wow, Drogon looks so much like an airplane here!
Laura,
It looks beautiful and sooo comfy ! I absolutely love the design and decor. Has a very modern, Pinterest-y vibe to it ! I would expect nothing less of Lena who is literally the definition of ‘cool’!
Do we know who will be at the Casterly Rock attack? Only Unsullied/Greyworm vs. Lannister soldiers or if there’s also a Lannister, Euron or other mains present? I suppose Tyrion is not present as Peter is in London, unless there are scenes filmed elsewhere too.
Arya Serious,
Also, I doubt he’ll ever call himself that. He’ll always be Jon Snow.
I am surprised to see all these people dressed in winter coats – much heavier than we are wearing in upstate New York in November! I always thought Spain was supposed to be a hot country.
I would also very much like to know if Euron, i.e., Pilou, has been sighted at Trujillo Castle. It would tell us whether GW and the Unsullied face off against Euron at CR or not.
Arya Serious,
I want his name to be Aemon. Not just because Aemon the Dragonknight was his hero, but also for Master Aemon, who was his mentor.
Ultimately I guess it doesn’t really matter what his Targ name is, he will always be Jon.
One question :
Barrueco de Arriba (Los Barruecos), November 19, “Where they will be for 22 days,” says the mayor.
Is this about the huge battle that involves Dany ? right ?
Jack Bauer 24,
L7R said most Highgarden filming will take place at Trujillo castle. So what now? Both Almodovar and Trujillo stand-in as both Highgarden and Casterly Rock? How does that make sense?
aeris,
L7R wrote that was speculation on their part as far as I recall.
Kay,
According to his social media Pilou is back in Denmark.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMtAWnijhpc/?taken-by=pilouasbaek
Millie,
So then Almodovar and Trujillo are both Casterly Rock and Almodovar is also Highgarden. This makes little sense too. Perhaps one stands-in for one castle, the other for the other castle. That makes it simple. So Greyworm might be a part of whatever happens in Highgarden as he was at Almodovar yesterday.
PaoloLaCuba,
Thanks!
If filming at Trujillo castle and at Almodovar (it seems both are Casterly Rock) is of short duration, and if Pilou is not in Spain, then Greyworm must take over Casterly Rock fairly easily! Almost similar to how Jaime took over Riverrun last season!
I am quite puzzled about Euron’s story arc next season. He is at the dragonpit, but what is he doing during the rest of the season? Simply engaged with his niece and nephew?
Jaime took the castle last season without blood, because he is able to play with people and has the wits for this. Don’t tell me Grey Worm has Jaime’s wits!
I can bet money Dany doesn’t get Casterly Rock without dragons,
Tyrion will be smart, but Jaime will prove himself to be equal to him.
Plus Westerlands hate Tyrion for killing Tywin…no way they will accept or help him.
Living Grey Worm to guard Casterly Rock is also tricky, when she wants a truce. That makes Cersei right for not trusting her… there is no way she can ask for truce when she hold someone else home.
L7R also almost insisted that ADR was posing as Dragonstone, but they got that wrong. They’ve got a few things wrong lately, in fact.
The Tyrell soldiers look like they’ve been in the ring with Tyson and the Lannister soldiers’ hair is barely ruffled.
Maggie,
I am just going by whatever spoiler information we have so far, including the very limited number of filming days at these locations. Not very subjective character characterizations and motivations.
Lannisters everywhere. **The Rains of Castamere starts playing in my head.**
Lisa,
From grave or what?
ghost of winterfell,
I would be dissapointed if they’ll change his first name to something else than Jon so late in the story. I understand surname.
Agreed about GW, but Jaime really only successfully played Edmure, who’s kind of dull to begin with. Looking at his history he hasn’t had much success verbally sparring with people: he tried it with Blackfish, Brienne, King Tommen, the High Sparrow, Ellaria Sand, Locke, Brienne again, Cat, Robb several times, and Ned also several times, but came up empty every time and in some cases worse off (Locke).
Arya Serious,
It’s funny because the first time I saw the scene with his birth I thought she said Aemon 🙂 I think that would be awesome!!
Honestly now: I would love if his real name would be revealed as…. Jon!
No fancy Targ name, just Jon.
Kinda like in that one early Simpsons episodes (back in the days when they were still good and meaningful and not just bizarrely overstaying their welcome like now)
where Homer goes on a journey to find out what the J. really stands for, what middle name his mom gave him before she left… and in the end he meets two old hippies who were her friend back in the day and they reveal a mural where it says the J. stands for Jay.
I didnt get something.
Sue said the trujillo would have 3 days filming but was only 1. Ok. But when i cliked the website with more photos it said ” almovodar del rio se limito a 1 dia ” or ” almovodar only had 1 day of filmimg” what? So both trujillo and almovodar had only one day?
Someone correct if im wrong
Kay,
Or the Greyjoys come way later into play than we think?
Is there already a definite episode number for the naval battle?
crimethink,
Really? I think “sorry about the sapphires” was pretty strong…
Verbally Jaime is second only to Tyrion, and being witty is one of his biggest characterization.
Lisa,
It would be sad if he gave up on Jon Snow but it’s possible. I think this is more likely to happen faster the books than in the show, where a dead/dying/almost risen Jon Snow connects with Bran and learns about his parentage.
At first I thought that Aegon would be an idiotic name for Jon, but it works in both show and books. Ned has a conversation with Lyanna, where he (maybe) tells her about what befell Rhaegar’s children by Elia. Hearing that, Lyanna might name her son “Aegon,” in memory of Rhaegar’s first son.
Since I love the Starks and hate the Targs, this would be sad, but it would also work.
I noticed that too. I wonder if the Tyrell soldiers left to defend Highgarden are more like last season’s army that marched through the streets of King’s Landing than the ones who fought at the Blackwater: more suited for pageantry than fighting. The Blackfish and his few hundred soldiers held Riverrun until Edmure betrayed them, yet this supposedly superior Tyrell army can’t hold their own castle and protect their matriarch against an invading Jaime? I’ll be disappointed if the Tyrell soldiers get their asses easily handed to them in order to portray Jaime as a great commander. At least put up a damn fight.
Is Bran chopped liver? Are Arya and Sansa? I get that Jon is the able-bodied man here (rme not at Jon but this continued prioritization of Jon over Ned’s kids) but Ned’s children exist and Jon is far less vital to ensuring Ned’s line than Ned’s existing kids.
I hope Jon will always be Jon Snow, not Stark or Targaryen. And, despite any other names he might have had at his birth, I think that he will always be Jon Snow. I don’t like the idea of him taking Stark as a surname either as Jon’s marginalization as a Stark bastard has been such an important part of his journey and he will always be the Bastard of Winterfell regardless of the titles he has accrued.
PaoloLaCuba,
Your scenario is quite possible and likely! We don’t have a timeline yet for the Greyjoys, including the naval battle, except for Theon getting beaten up by Yara’s Ironborn men is in Episode 7.
Indeed! What is going to be much, much more important is Jon realizing what Ned must have gone through to maintain that fiction that Jon was his bastard. Jon might accept that Lyanna was his mother: but Ned will always be Jon’s father in his mind, regardless of who donated the Y-chromosome.
Not to that sort of society. Arya & Sansa are women: therefore, they can only continue some man’s line, not their own. Bran is broken: and this is a world where it is assumed that a broken man is damaged in all ways.
Jon is an acknowledged bastard. That means that he is Ned’s son. (This is opposed to, say, Gendry, who is an unacknowledged bastard: people might suspect that he’s Robert’s son, but because Robert never admitted it, Gendry could never be truly accepted as a Baratheon scion.) Now, we all know that being born out-of-wedlock magically damages DNA and diminishes a person (because we know absolutely nothing about things like DNA), unless of course a King magically heals that genetic damage by declaring you legitimate (which has far ranging medical implications! 😀 ) But it seems that many people in this world (particularly northerners) consider the damage of bastardy to be much less than the damage of crippling or lacking a penis.
I agree with this. They look kinda bloody in one of the pictures here, so I guess that did put up a fight.
Kathy,
I’m so going to enjoy your tears of blood when that won’t happen at all,gimme all,gimme those tears !
Can’t wait to see Nickolaj all bloody and dirty and in all the action. The castles are beautiful, I really hope one in Casterly Rock, would love to see what it’s like in the show.
Jack Bauer 24,
Is that confirmed by now?
You know Spain is not Mexico right?
PaoloLaCuba,
No.
Sue the Fury,
Okay, there goes that theory then.
So do you know by now in which episode the naval battle will be?
PaoloLaCuba,
If we’ve got any confirmation to report, we’ll report on it, believe me 😉
Luka Nieto,
Haha, I see. Thanks then! 🙂
Pigeon,
LOL he sure does ?
Where does dany fit in all this..
She took three cities with minimum bloodshed and almost no casualties from her side
She improvised and used the resources that are available in the surroundings to achieve that..
Surely she will come up with something if she has to take CR ( in the books at least)
Very early in AGoT he makes a note to Arya when watching Robb/Joffrey in the yard that Joffrey “elevates his Mothers arms to equivalent of his Fathers” – in reference to Joffrey using dual Lannister/Baratheon arms
I’ve always taken from this he’ll eventually adopt dual Stark/Targaryen arms in honour of both his Mother and Father
Makes perfect sense for a character he thematically straddles two sides of a dynamic, eg NW/Free-folk, Mel/Val, North/South (born in Dorne yet raised in Winterfell) and I reckon he’ll end up with Ghost/Rhaegal etc etc
Stark/Targaryen may have another twist to it in that he may end up stuck inbetween Sansa/Dany
This is obviously where Tyrion being “Master of the Drains of Casterly Rock” would come into play
He knows all of the back passages and so forth which I suspect will come into play, and given Tyrion is Dany’s Lord of Casterly Rock as well as Hand it makes sense he would have to be there politically in order to legitimise Dany’s claim to the Castle and settle the normal-folk whoa re used to a Lannister running the joint for a Millennia
Not necassarily,
Depending on the Sandstone colour etc, both can still be used depending on the Shots and angles wanted
Eg if Lannisters are laying siege to Highgarden, the Extras and Soldier equipment are in place to allow for some Casterly Rock or even KL related shots to be conveniently made
This is where Director sightings can be important
Firannion,
Spain is a very large country with many different climates. From weatheronline.co.uk: There are three different climate zones in Spain, due to its large size. Visitors can generally expect a Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The vast central plateau, or Meseta, has a more continental influenced climate with hot, dry summers and cold winters.
Inga,
It could be the name Ageon means something to Rhaegar according to fulfilling the prophecy he read about his future children? (Not a book reader but heard this) Lyanna would probably know this and was just honoring his vision/wish. So the fact that his first son with same name is now deceased they see this third child as the chosen one instead, who must for some reason have this name.
GW at Highgarden too?
So Daenerys has 7 out of 9 region, fantastic
it would be nice if starks becomes villian and joins to Cersei and Euron, she can end all great lords and break the wheel
Aguero,
It seems that’s the case. One day for each. 12th for Almodóvar, 15th for Trujillo.
thorne garnet,
The red is obviously Lannister mem. The others are Tyrell. You can see the rose on the chest plate.
Luka/Sue
Do we know which director(s) was on location for the filming at the castle this past weekend? This might help figure out the timeline.
Thanks!
As if killing Margery, Loras and Mace wasn’t bad enough, they now feel the need to lay siege to Highgarden and from the Lion banners flying high from the ramparts it looks like the Lannisters breech the walls, or Jamie ruses his way in to the castle much like the whole Riverrun scene form S6, I just hope our Queen of thorns doesn’t die in the same fashion as The Blackfish – Pointless and off screen! she deserves a good death scene!