We have fresh Game of Thrones casting news for you today, out of Spain!
The above photo was shared today by a fan in Almería (she’s the woman to DeObia Oparei’s right). Oparei, Alexander Siddig, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Indira Varma, and rather surprisingly, George Georgiou were seen dining together.
In season 3, George Georgiou portrayed Razdal, the Yunkai slaver who attempted to bribe Daenerys into leaving his city alone before she scared him off with her dragon (and kept his gold). The actor’s CV confirms his return to Game of Thrones, with Daniel Sackheim and Miguel Sapochnik directing him:
The question is now, how will the Yunkish people be coming back into the story as players? Razdal was clearly an enemy to Daenerys. In A Dance with Dragons, it was Xaro who returned to plague Daenerys, but the show gave Xaro a more seemingly final exit. Will Razdal take on a similar position in season 6? In the photo, the actor is with people from the Dorne storyline but that may not be connected- several storylines are being filmed in Almería these days.
Here’s another photo from the same dinner- enjoy the lovely group!
In other casting news, British actor Chuku Modu has been cast in season 6. He was congratulated on his new role by Macto Film (whom he’d worked with) on Facebook back in July. Recently, Modu has been posting photos from Spain on Instagram, catching fans’ eyes which finally brought him to our attention.
Given his age, looks, location and joking around with Staz Nair on Instagram, Modu is very likely a Dothraki warrior.
And lastly, we’ve uncovered another casting- Sabina Arthur, who will be playing the role of a Meereen Mother. We believe this part may be the starving-mother-with-a-baby role described in a casting notice published a couple weeks back.
The casting is credited on the actress’s Spotlight CV, with her director listed as Jeremy Podeswa. Podeswa is directing the first and second episodes of season 6, so it seems as though Game of Thrones is diving quickly into Meereen’s troubles in the new season.
Thanks to readers Morgan, SPAK and H. Stark for finding photos & info!
Hodor!
It will be really hard for S6 not to be the best season yet. I mean, it sounds great, almost everything we heard is a pure gold.
They will tie every loose end.
Razdal will have scene with Yezzan in S6. I think they are behind the Sons of the Harpy.
It makes sense. Hizdahr was a good red herring.
Yesss! So it probably means they’re filming at the Alcazaba. It’s just PERFECT for Sunspear. I’d assumed the Alcazaba was Meereen, due to the related actors going to Almería —but it seems they were heading to Mesa Roldán.
As for Razdal, according to his CV he will appear in Sackheim and Sapochnik episodes, so early in the season, episodes 3 and/or 4, and then in the end, episodes 9 and/or 10. Interesting. It confirms we’ll still be dealing with Slaver’s Bay by the end. Still, it means Yunkai comes back! That’s great. Hopefully it means we’ll get a Battle of Fire, or at least an equivalent; it may just be a civil war in Meereen, with the Yunkish financially supporting the Sons of the Harpy.
Interesting that we’ll get into the famine storyline right from the start.
The Battle of Fire is on, baby! Let’s see Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal fry some more Harpies and a khalasar crash into the Yunkish army.
Battle of Fire confirmed!!!! (Hopefully)
mau,
Completly agree!! S6 is shaping to be the bast season…of course until S7 🙂
So they are basically bringing back everyone! : P
Now give us more Tully and Freys 🙂
That sounded like poetry to my ears.
Alex Stroup,
Not really, if there was a huge battle we would have heard something, or they haven’t filmed it yet.
Anyway, my point: if there will be a battle of fire we will hear of it.
I’m still going with the SOTH being the main threat, but now with Yunkai back, we could get a yunkish army aswell.
I do expect we will hear some news soon and we will have a clearer picture.
H.Stark,
We already have the two main ones 😉
Mihnea,
If by the end of filming there hasn’t been a single peep about a battle in Meereen, I’ll assume it will just be a civil war, with guerrilla warfare, which would involve scenes that could evade our attention, instead of a large-scale battle, which probably couldn’t be hidden from us. I’ll have some faint hope until filming ends, though.
Mihnea,
Everyone said the same about Stannis and Boltons last year. I don’t know how big Battle of Fire will be, but it will happen, because it makes sense for the story.
And we can’t hear everything.
I hope we have a battle in Meereen for christ’s sake. We have battles in Westeros every season. It’s possibly the last season in Essos. I hope we have something other than just the SoTH.
Luka Nieto,
Exactly my opinion, if we get no photos/rumors,..etc. Like we did with the battle in the north, the a full blown civil war in the streats of Meereen is the most likely posibility.
Anyway, we will know more details in the coming days, I hope!!
I know it’s too early to say, but isn’t it at least safe enough to conclude that the Battle of Fire won’t span the whole of TWOW? And that, say, Jaime will have something more to do since we saw him last in ADWD? That Sam will have a book-worth of Citadel stuff? Also, Margaery was freed (until her trial) at the end of ADWD, yet it seems it won’t happen until 6×06. My point being, doesn’t it appear increasingly likely that, though Season 6 will be mostly TWOW, it won’t reach the end of the book, at least for most storylines? Or maybe I’m just being overly optimistic about how much story TWOW will cover.
It would make some sense. Season six would wrap up the delayed AFFC/ADWD threads, reach halfway through TWOW or more, and then they would wrap up TWOW and cover all of ADOS in the remaining two seasons.
Luka Nieto,
That was my thought exactly. You might add Iron Islands and maybe Arya to that list.
@ Sue: Any news from Corbet? You mentioned earlier today you were expecting some new info.
Could episode 6×09 include both the Battle of Ice (Winterfell) AND the Battle of Fire (Meereen)!? 😮 That would bring Jon and Dany to the same point in their respective journeys.
H.Stark,
We still don’t know about Tobias Menzies (Edmure) however. Damn Underworld started filming in Prague this week.
Ancient and glorious is Yunkai.
Luka Nieto,
I agree, but I don’t think that even GRRM now what and where is the end of TWOW, so D&D will end S6 where they think it makes the most sense.
Dutch Maester,
That’s different. That’s catching up with some delayed AFFC/ADWD story threads, which Season 6 will also do. What I’m saying is that it seems to me that Season 6 won’t reach the end of TWOW… though I’m perfectly aware this seems like a ludicrous suggestion to make, considering we haven’t got TWOW. It still seems that way, due to the clues I mentioned and others.
mau,
You’re more pessimistic than most. I think GRRM knows perfectly well when TWOW will end, and that he probably has written most of it already. However, I agree on something —D&D are now following the overall story and mixing up the books when necessary in order to give a proper climax to most characters each season, something GRRM hasn’t always done, especially in the last few books. So if D&D aren’t reaching the end of TWOW in Season 6, that tells me that the end of TWOW is probably as anti-climactic as AFFC or at least ADWD.
Luka Nieto,
I seriosly doubt they will wrap up all TWOW plots in S6. Mainly because they aren’t even done with AFFC/ADWD, but also because TWOW is probably pretty large as well.
Matt,
I’m sure Edmure will be a part of S6. If they can’t get the actor back, they will say Edmure was killed.
Batter that, then recasting.
Matt,
I will say this again, but even GRRM doesn’t know what are the plots from TWOW. He is not sure yet how many books ASOIAF will have.
Matt,
But they have to be done with the Crows/Dragons story: whatever the Winter story is, it will be as different from the Crows/Dragons story as the C/D story was from the Swords or Clash stories.
So, any plot threads that are being “carried over” necessarily will be altered to fit whatever the mutual identify-crisis is this year.
mau,
Recasting = X
I hate recasting for continuity purposes.
Luka Nieto,
If GRRM knows perfectly well where TWOW will end, he would be able to tell how many books he wants after TWOW. 7 or 8? Who knows.
Matt,
Me too. So better to kill him off-screen than to recast him.
That is the reason why they replaced Greatjon with Smalljon.
Wimsey,
Regardless of the overall theme of season 6, the fact of the matter is they’re obviously filming things that occur in AFFC/ADWD. There’s no denying it.
Wimsey,
So you could tell me what was the story of every season?
Matt,
If Blackfish is back, I think it’s safe to assume he’ll be back as well.
Yes. GRRM has stated that
Dutch Maester,
I agree. And actor said he would like to return to Got.
I think the season 6 finale will have multiple big cliffhangers like season 5 had.
Possibilities include:
- Dany, Tyrion, etc. leaving Meereen to finally invade Westeros after cleaning up at Slaver's Bay in the previous episodes
- Arya getting back to the Riverlands
- Jaime (and Brienne?) being captured by the BwB after lifting the siege of Riverrun (and maybe even meeting a certain hooded woman???)
- Varys arriving at KL to kill Pycelle and Kevan OR (if that already happened in one of the previous episodes) Cercei burning KL to the ground and fleeing to Casterly Rock
- Jon doing what ever he is going to do after retaking Winterfell from the Boltons
mau,
Just because GRRM knows when in the overall story TWOW will end (which I believe; I believe most of it is written already) doesn’t meant that he knows how many pages ADOS will take. He always says he can’t definitely say it won’t be more than seven books because he may start writing it and realize it takes more than one book.
That’s a good guess! Razdal was given quite a bit of screentime, (a well-known actor was cast), and his own career would come to an end if the slave trade was abolished. Powerful economic motivation.
EDIT: May I just say, though not a book reader myself, that as of yet, there IS NO TWOW and subsequent books. Perhaps a better mindset is: there is the rest of the overall story. D&D know what that is. They are going to plot out their best way to tell the rest of the story in a TV medium. So it’s odd to think of “they’ll get to the middle, end” of TWOW, etc! 😀
Luka Nieto,
Yes exactly. I strongly suspect that S6 will include the Feast/Dance plots that only get started in those books but are mostly significant for tWoW plot.
I’ve been thinking that tWoW will be split into S6 & S7. Maybe aDoS will be able to be adapted in one season (S8) because it is just an outline at this point. D&D *probably* have more tWoW details at the moment.
mau,
If Edmure was killed, who are the Gallows for?
News from Los Siete Reinos. Spoilers ahead!
2. Brienne will be in RR. I dislike this even more ?
Luka Nieto,
They’ll get about a third into TWOW, at most. The Battle of Fire and the Battle of Ice are supposed to happen at the open that book, and sounds like they will end S6.
Whatever end-climaxes are planned by GRRM for TWOW will likely be the S7E9-S7E10 climaxes on Game of Thrones.
How D&D will cram all of book 7 into S8 is beyond my comprehension, but given they’ll be working from an unwritten ADOS I assume it’ll be by three mechanisms–edit, excise, condense.
Luka Nieto,
ADOS should be a conclusion to his story. It is the last book. He can’t just realize in that stage of writing the same things he realized while he was writing ASOS or AFFC.
And if he is really near the end of TWOW (and I absolutely don’t believe in that) he would know that.
Luka Nieto,
One of the Dothraki casting calls reported here talked about a two week action setpiece being shot in NI in November. I think that could be our Battle of Fire tbh. After all Razdal mo Eraz is going to be in a Sapochnik-directed episode… And the castle used for Blackwater in the same quarry they built Castle Black in has stood in for Meereen before, back in the opening sequence of ep. 404.
It was just a random thought; actually I agree that the mindset you suggest is a much better way to look at it. D&D are adapting the story and mixing up the books as necessary, in order to tell a more coherent story each season, with a beginning, middle and an end, which the books sometimes lack, especially in some storylines.
Tywin of the Hill,
We already knew
EDIT: Read the article. It said Riverlands not Riverrun.
I absolutely agree. GRRM doesn’t even know how many books he will write.
We just can’t say that S6 will be 70% of TWOW and S7 will be 30% of TWOW and 53% of ADOS or whatever
Those books does not exist. The only thing that exists is the script for S6 written by D&D.
I think Sansa will be back to Vale for some reason…. maybe she will not even interact
Tywin of the Hill,
Why you dislike spoiler number 1? It was obvious.
Tywin of the Hill,
That’s great news! We knew about
The big news that make me happy is Brienne at Riverrun! Yeeei, she’s meeting Jaime again! Why don’t you like these developments, Tywin?
Maggie,
Sansa
More Tullys, fewer Freys. Many, many fewer Freys. Heh.
I might have missed that. Gonna check it out again later.
Luka Nieto,
I just realized that
Tywin of the Hill,
2. That was increasingly likely, since it seems like the show is bringing the plot threads seemingly omitted last year back into the picture. The question is more how she gets there, and, with Stoneheart looking extremely unlikely, what they’ll be doing.
Sean C.,
I think she will
mau,
Agreed!
Sean C.,
Greenjones,
I thought the same about that news, but no one seems to notice that.
Luka Nieto,
I think Tywin misread the article. Apparently it actually
Jaime will
If they bring back all the people in the rivelands…including the Gravediggers and all…. and even Arya… they maybe need her in her actual book place for some important reason… Sansa, Arya, Jaime, Brienne and the Hound are all connected in something
Just my opinion…maybe 10 episode has an TWOW event.
mau,
Because
Luka Nieto,
The Iron Islands plot (as separate plot) will
I seriously hope for
Tywin of the Hill,
The
Maggie,
But maybe Sansa’s actual book place is in the North?
Tywin of the Hill,
He respects Jon, and he is an honorable person.
A real king, and not the usurper Stannis Baratheon.
Wimsey,
But this isn’t the books. The circumstances are way different.
Tywin of the Hill,
mau,
It says
Matt,
It says
I’ve actually been missing Razdal. They really condensed the internal politics from Meereen – obviously it needed to be condensed a little, but they even cut out stuff like the Green Grace, etc. and showing that the Ghiscari aren’t just a homogenous group.
At any rate, I really liked Razdal, because they played him as a *smart* “politician” more than a hammy villain. I mean, complete opposite of Kraznys’s (fun) bluster, Razdal is calm and polite; capable of making threats as a political tactic, but he’s not an idiot. Needed more of that – the most dangerous villains are the ones like Tywin who know how “Realpolitik” works.
Let’s move this conversation about the L7R spoilers to the new post, so we don’t spoil people!
mau,
Sean C.,
He wouldn’t risk his life for a bastard he just met, specially if he has to ally himself with Melisandre.
He has a wife, for God’s sake.
Greenjones,
It says
I almost didn’t recognize Indira and especially Rosabell in the pictures. Rosabell’s hair is much longer than in S5, she looks so different.
Really curious about how Dorne will fit into the S6 storylines. These episodes are going to be packed, everyone seems to be coming back this time!
Between the new GoT stuff and the premiere of the new Star Wars trailer tonight, today is a good day. 🙂
Another hot Dothraki! I’m not complaining. I imagine Dany isn’t either.
The pics of the Dorne crew are great, lovely to see them relaxing together. I have questions for Indira about that giant lime green bow though.
Hahaha…I’m right there with you.
You have been busy. I am gone for a couple of hours and have all sorts of news to catch up on.
As a somewhat rabid GoT fan I appreciate all this information.
Tywin of the Hill,
I do not think Davos has a wife in the show, nor other surviving sons. He does not get to keep his lands with Stannis gone either so he has nowhere to go. If Davos realizes the threat the White Walkers present why could not he try to help the rightful king to save the kingdom? Davos is not completely selfless but as far as the characters in the series we have seen he is pretty close to it. Besides I do not think he will completely hate Stannis even after what he did to Shireen so Davos would want revenge against the Boltons. As for what happens to him in the books, I suspect something similar happens after he finds Rickon and then learns that Stannis is dead. It would not be that easy for him to leave and Melisandre has one of his sons.So? The important story elements for Davos might very well be the same even if some of the circumstances are different.
Chances are good that several months will have elapsed in the time between S5 & S6 for many characters.
Ohh…the bad pussy is back. <3
Yunkai being in the last episode (episode 9 is the battle in the North) means at best team Dany leave Meereen in the finale.
Also good to see Dorne, and Razdal was one of the highlight one-off parts of the show (alongsidr poor Mero) so it’s really great and satisfying from a continuity standpoint to see him back. This show has an amazing ability of bringing characters back, the only missed opportunity is Illyrio but I think that just didn’t work out as they planned.
Just about every new piece of info gets me excited!
Why doesn’t it suggest that Daeny makes it to Yunkai by the 9th episode?
Stephen Harper deposed, Blue Jays going for the Pennant, a breathtaking Star Wars trailer and confirmation of Dorne and the Yunkai in season 6= a great day. Yes I said Dorne. I am glad they are not abandoning it.
The Dragon Demands,
I think you mean the bad poooosy!
Wimsey,
Could be. Maybe there isn’t a Battle of Fire as such in the show, yet they pass through Yunkai on the way back. However, doesn’t that seem a bit too “episodic”? Like the climax would have nothing to do with what we’ve been building towards. Dany arrives back in Meereen with the Dothraki, mops up the Sons of the Harpy and takes control of the city she’s been ruling for two seasons… yet that’s not the climax; they abandon the city, and the climax is far away from Meereen, instead dealing with the city of Yunkai, which we haven’t see in three seasons. It just doesn’t ring true.
Joshua Atreides,
Like Doran, I believe in second chances. So I would be delighted if Dorne “redeemed” itself this season. Doran’s “Fire and Blood” speech would be an excellent place to start (that’s when it started actually getting interesting in the books as well).
I’m intrigued; does anyone know what origin is the name Chuku Modu?? I could not place it for the world.
The Dothraki are shaping to be very good.
Also very excited about Dorne, can’t wait to see what will happen there.
Sou,
Indian?
Yeah, of course, that has always been my thinking… I mean, why would they do TWOW in 1 season and ADOS in 2?
That’s why I said back in the day thats season 6 wouldn’t spoil the book, and season 7 wouldn’t spoil ADOS. Some of it yeah, but the path is already different, so we won’t know exactly what are real spoilers and what aren’t…. it’s the destination that will be spoiled, and that won’t happen until a season later
I don’t know that most people will agree, when the time comes. Unfortunately, what most people seem to care about, what they could consider spoilers, is not what you call “the path” but “the destination” —and there’s not a single destination, there’s not a single particular thing in the endpoint that will be the only “destination” that will unite ASOIAF and GOT; it will be character deaths, major shifts in power, big twists and revelations, etc. That’s what’s usually considered a spoiler, and that’s what’s most likely to be adapted more faithfully. So the spoiler-averse book readers will be pissed off anyway.
Mihnea,
No definitely not Indian. Nair is an Indian name though.
You’ve been smoking some real strong stuff lately haven’t you?
Also, yes, “TWOW and ADOS” do not exist, but D&D have the outlines to work off..
Skipped all the comments so as to not get spoilt… I have read ANY of the spoilers 🙂
But I am soooooooooo excited for the season. I saw someone comment about how it will be the best season etc.. Ugh, cant wait.
O/T: STAR WARS!!!!!!!!!
Joshua Atreides,
THIS!!!!!!
Great day in Canada yesterday 😉
I don’t know what the Fire and Blood speech is, so I’ll look it up. But any additional screen time for Doran/Siddig and DeObia Oparei is good news to me. The acting they did in the few minutes of screen time they had was spot-on, perfect accents and facial expressions. Even sitting in a wheel chair, Doran conveyed power, without over-acting. Their costumes were better than those of the Sand Snakes, no messy, overwhelming headpieces; fabrics appropriate to the tastes and status of the character. He looked sleek, acted like a ruler. The Sand Snakes looked more like earth worms.
If you don’t want to be spoiled massively, don’t look for it.
CutterMcCool,
Don’t forget that they have – likely – dropped the Young Griff storyline.
This could make the plot more straightforward and more easily adaptable in 7,5 seasons 🙂
Last season, when Jaime was sailing near Tarth and I saw his dreaming eyes at the simple mention of the name of Brienne’s island I was sure they would meet again. It seems it will happen and I’m glad… although I can’t figure out how their relationship will develop. It must be meaningful, but it’s not the place, nor the time for happy-endings.
iridium,
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
That bow on Indira/Ellaria is all I see when I look at those pics! Is it a fashion statement or subversive distraction to hide the cruel, vindictive, murderous vigilante that lies beneath??!!
Luka Nieto,
Well didnt we hear that Razdal was in an early episode as well?
Maybe we learn early on that Yunkai is in fact financially sponsoring the Sons of the Harpy.
This would make it have thematic sense for Dany to go there after cleaning out and/or abandoning Meereen.
Also, let’s not forget Razdal offered her ships in S3. She wil need more of those with a bigger army at her back.
So that’s another plot-relevant reason to go to Yunkai…
Oh, you’re right, I forgot. So it’s even less likely then that we’ll see him because the characters will visit Yunkai at the end of the season. Thankfully. Anyway, I agree with your theory: the Yunkish, represented by Razdal, will finance the Sons of the Harpy. I believe he will have a single scene or at most two in either episode three or four, in which he will go to Meereen as a Yunkai’i envoy and treat with Tyrion. He will demand a return to slavery… or else. Razdal won’t be happy with Tyrion’s reply and he’ll finance the Harpies, and we’ll see the repercussions at the end of the season, when Razdal reappears. Hopefully in a explosive climactic battle.
LOL, thanks for the warning, but spoilers don’t bother me so much. If I know that a certain event is coming, I like to see how the writers work up to it: how and if they foreshadow it, the words they choose, what they leave in, what they edit out.
For me, watching GoT is almost as much about the craft of the story-telling as the story itself. And between GRRM and D&D, there is a lot of fine story-telling craft to inspect, imo. Plus, I’m amazed every day at how immersed I am in the world that sweet (?), harmless-looking, suspender-wearing man has created, and I seek every facet. I’m a practical person, not given to “fandom.” But this little dude got me good, as has what D&D have done with it.
Besides, Luka, I’m of an age where I can’t stand too much suspense. *sighs* With everything else out there that might wear me down, I’m not gonna’ let suspense over GoT get to me if I can help it. 🙂
Thronetender,
That was an awesome scene. And it seems to be the opening of a bunch of awesome future scenes/plots of TWOW involving King’s Landing (with Lannisters and Tyrells), Meereen (with Dany’s), the Stormlands (with X character) and some pretty cool dornish characters. That’s why book readers were quite fond of the Dornish plot.
Huh? I mean, I mostly liked it, especially the beginning and the end and what it promises, but I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority. AFFC in particular was popularly and critically chided, in large parts due to the Dornish and Iron Island subplots.
Luka Nieto,
I dont think the negative reaction was because of Dornish and Ironborns were badly written. I think it was because fan favorite characters were missing in atleast on of those books and the long time GRRM needs to write next book only increased a displeasure about it. Also both books were transitional without finished story arcs.
Dorne and Ironborns as new storylines than served as natural and convenient scapegoats. That does not mean it was badly written and if someone want to think that let them. Its not an objective truth.
Ahhh, explains a lot. I found one about “grass” and the other one. Yes, they do add many currently unshown dimensions to Doran. Can’t wait to see if they are conveyed to the screen. If so, a lot of people are in for some further rude awakenings. That’s all I can say without arousing the wrath of the unsullied. For myself, though, I’m glad I checked it out.
SlayerNina,
It was a good one… I just wish we didn’t have to slog through a long, dull (IMHO anyway) side story just to get to it.
I will say neither…just an incredibly bad choice. She looks like Minnie Mouse.
Don’t speak for all book-readers please, while I liked Doran I found the entire plot to be just bad and pointless, like many others did. Just check some reviews on that book, and you will quickly find that not all book-readers ”where quite fond of Dorne”.