Locations/News

Game of Thrones possibly returning to Croatia for season 7 filming

Posted on by Sue the Fury

The Dubrovnik Times has a surprising announcement for Game of Thrones fans today: that the show may be returning to Croatia for the shooting of this season after all. Though the country was a filming mainstay for GoT, particularly serving as King’s Landing, for several seasons, it looked like it was off the table for season 7 when Croatia was not on the list provided by HBO in July. Today, The Dubrovnik Times discovered that Embassy Films (GoT’s production company of choice in the country) has begun casting for extras for mid-December filming.

However, it’s not quite confirmed yet, so we can take the news with a grain of salt. Embassy Films’ announcement for extras casting is visible on their Facebook; as you can see, it doesn’t specify Game of Thrones, stating only that it’s for a TV series, along with providing a few casting details.


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Embassy Films does work on projects besides Game of Thrones, so we have to consider this may be an extras casting call for something else. But, I do think it’s a strong possibility. Croatia has some unique locations that can’t always be duplicated elsewhere, even though much of the production has moved on to Spain. GoT wasn’t expected to film in Croatia at all for season 6, but the show filmed there for a few days last year at a location that was particular to Dubrovnik: the King’s Landing shore where Cersei waited for Myrcella’s return.

And so perhaps this is a similar situation, Game of Thrones returning to Dubrovnik because they need a location that cannot be recreated in Spain or in a studio. The extras casting call itself doesn’t provide a lot of hints, considering how broad it is. It calls for both men and women, more or less of typical heights, though they are looking for stronger men which might point toward soldiers or Unsullied.

For now, we’ll keep our eyes on the Croatian news, and hope for more updates and hints from Dubrovnik!

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

43 Comments

  4. Konna,

    In one of the interviews D&D mentioned writing a sequence for season 7 which

    evolved from a scene in the Iron Throne room with 4 characters to a ‘3-day extravaganza’ on the streets of King’s Landing.

  7. Ser Bergh,

    I thought about the same thing…the scene D&D mentioned,

    previously thought as a small scene in the throne room with 4 characters, then was turned into a big parade in KL.

    This can be important, because the leaks on reddit didn’t say anything about it, and maybe they decided to shoot that scene which wasn’t leaked yet somewhere else so that it won’t be spoiled like the scenes being filmed in Spain.

    I wonder what it can be, in the light of spoilers we know so far. “A massive parade” can mean different things, but how would it be a scene with 4 people in throne room originally? That limits the possibilities.

    It can’t be “all hail Queen Cersei”, because how would it be with 4 people originally? Cersei was already crowned in the throne room in season 6 finale.

  11. Sorry for not using spoiler tags – I thought it had not to be covered as WotW reported about this thing back in June. My fault 😉 .

    Regarding

    the “parade” – the only thing I could think about that could have evolved from a more private scene to a massive public one: maybe there will be a public parade with the caught wight through the streets of KL, to show people that these things really exist, finally leading to the Dragonpit meeting scene. But maybe it’s a totally different thing, who knows…

  12. It must be parade and something to do with either Cersei or Dany. Not sure why Cersei would care for people, unless she captured something to show off. Seems more likely for Dany, when she took King’s Landing. More fitting for her.

    Ser Bergh,

    Leaks spoilers.

    They’re not gonna parade a wight throught the streets. It would cause a panic among people, it’s more important to show this to Euron, Cersei, Jaime. People who make decisions and have armies to fight them. Definitely not for such an extravaganza for them.

  13. Geralt of Rivia,

    Leaks:

    Dany doesn’t take KL in S7.

    Ser Bergh,

    Leaks:

    I don’t think so because this scene was changed from the throne room to one on the streets involving extras. Why would Jon/Dany have taken the wight to the throne room if they were anyway going to display it at the Dragonpit for the Lannisters?

  14. I hope

    the parade is for my girl Cersei. I want her to have her moments of glory as queen before she goes down in flames.

  16. ghost of winterfell,

    Geralt of Rivia,

    The leaks didn’t say that Daenerys takes KL but maybe the leaker didn’t know this scene, he didn’t say anything about it. It may be possible that Daenerys enters the city although she can’t take the Red Keep and therefore can’t be crowned for some reason, maybe that’s why they all meet in the Dragonpit. Maybe Cersei threatens to burn the city if they try to take the throne etc. But that doesn’t explain how it would be a private scene in the throne room with 4 characters in the first place.

  17. ghost of winterfell,

    Leaks spoilers.

    If leaks are true. Dany would make the best scenario, as she often gets these type of scenes Mhysa and that. A wight wouldn’t make sense to show off to people.

  19. innocence,
    ghost of winterfell,
    Geralt of Rivia,

    Now that I think of it, maybe originally they wouldn’t show Daenerys entering the city, but she would be able to enter the throne room, and Cersei would threaten to burn the city etc in that private scene and Daenerys would have to leave…Then they changed their minds and wanted to show Daenerys entering the city but not to Red Keep…?

  20. I still feel like there is more to the story in KL that the leaks didn’t mention….and I hope that dany has something up her sleave like astopor and does something..

  21. innocence,

    Leaks:

    Could be possible. But Dany wouldn’t be alone, she will be accompanied by Jon/ Tyrion etc, if they are all headed to the dragonpit. It will become easier to guess once we know which actors land up in Dubrovnik.

  23. ghost of winterfell,

    Maybe in the original scene 4 characters in the throne room would be Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion and Daenerys…and Cersei would threaten to burn the city like Aerys, and Daenerys would give up when she hears this, then Jaime would understand that Tyrion was right, Cersei is the new Aerys, not Daenerys…In the new version Daenerys enters the city with a big parade, but can’t enter the red keep and they meet in the Dragonpit with everybody else, and Jaime understands that Cersei is insane later when she admits that she will betray the alliance etc.

  25. Strange news.

    When I first heard the news about the parade in January, I was pretty sure it would be Dany liberating King’s Landing. But the leaked info implies Cersei will still be in command of the city by episode 7, so I’m having a hard time integrating this parade into what we know of the season so far. It seems unlikely that Cersei would hold an enthronement parade, given how unpopular she is. So what’s going on here?

  29. ghost of winterfell,

    Leaks spoilers

    They said scene would be originally for four characters. If it is tied to the dragonpit scene. Not sure what Jon would be doing there? No a guy to turn up for parades. We have literally dozen of characters more appopriate or possibly to be there. If it is for Dany, it must be hear Team.

    dragonbringer,

    No every opponent of Dany is going to do dumb things like maesters of Astapor, Yunkai or Meereen to make it easy for Dany. Cersei is smarter than this. 😉 Dragon attack risks innocent lives and they need peace to focus on other threat.

  30. Wasn’t there speculation about Davos and Tyrion sneaking into King’s Landing to get Gendry? Maybe Cersei is having some kind of public display of eliminating Robert’s heir and it could be a public rescue? The original scene could of just been a rescue while Cersei antagonizes Gendry in the throne room or something.

  31. Rickard Greyjoy,

    This makes sense to me. Cersei is surely heading down one way despotic ruthlessness street by now.

    She should rule KL with an iron fist and it would make more sense for us to see this side of her at this point in the story. Also, why bring back Gendry at all, if not for some showdown with the family who tried to eliminate every opposition to their own?

    On another note, could the parade not also be a revolt against queen Cersei?

  33. Geralt of Rivia,

    Cersei is smarter than this. ?

    You sure .,reading AFFC tells me otherwise..

    Besides them acting stupidly doesn’t take away the fact that dany knew exactly what to do to exploit their greed and weakness..and the credit for outsmarting them

    But I guess now times have changed dany’s brain stopped working and all the thinking is done by tyrion when it comes to tactics..

  34. innocence,

    Geralt of Rivia,

    Leaks:

    What I understood from the leaks was that Dany and Jon (and Davos etc) will arrive at KL together from Eastwatch, along with the wight. So do you think Jon and the wight to make it to Dragonpit on their own, while she comes at the head of a parade? This scenario is not really making sense.

    I don’t remember what D&D said in that interview. Did they explicitly say that this scene was going to be a parade or just a scene on the streets with lots of extras? (seeing as everybody is talking about a parade, maybe D&D had specified this?)

    I think it’s equally possible that this has something to do with Cersei and Euron. They could be parading some high-profile hostage or something, idk.

  35. There were no migrants on the adriatic coast of Croatia, just on a small part of north-east area called Slavonija, and they were never in big cities, they were just passing through croatia on rail.
    The Dragon Demands,

  36. LEAK SPOILERS

    I think it will be a parade in Cersei’s name that she probably throws for herself or maybe to welcome a foreign guest (maybe Euron or Tycho Nestoris) and while that is going on in the main square, Tyrion and Davos take advantage of the carbunkle and sneak into KL to take Gendry. I don’t think it has anything to do with Dany. Quite honestly I want to see Cersei rule before sh*t hits the fan. I love her.

  37. Irina Stark,

    Leak spoilers:

    Tyrion and Davos sneak into KL to meet with Jaime. I think while Tyrion is meeting up with Jaime, Davos happens to run into Gendry, it’s purely coincidence. They do not go to KL looking for Gendry.

    I think the parade has something to do with Cersei as well. I want to see her have some fun lol,

  38. I’d imagine any parade is Cersei and Euron celebrating some sort of alliance or even victory, unless it’s a wedding but that seems unlikely.

    We know from the spoilers

    that Dany is unable to take Kings Landing and instead will ally with Jon and head North but will also ask Cersei to join that alliance in the last episode

  39. Unless D&D trolled us with that hint with the 4 characters in the throne room hint, it should be Cersei (+Qyburn and Frankenmountain, which now make her standard escort) welcoming one of her victorious commanders: either Euron or Jaime. My first guess was Euron (who may bring Yara and/or some captured Sand Snakes), because I feel that Jaime won’t get much recognition for his efforts (that’s kind of necessary for his character development/punishment/atonement).

    On the other hand, who knows: D&D didn’t say “a parade” – they said “extravagance”.

  40. ghost of winterfell,

    I thought maybe that person on reddit forgot something but yeah it looks more likely Cersei

    dragonbringer,

    I knew you’re gonna respond by defending Dany, as usual. Westeros is a whole different league and she’ll understand why. Still stupid things maester did played to he hand over and over again. Wish Starks had that luck, but they got genius Ramsay. Wonder wher have you been then since they’re supposedly your favourites too.

  41. Oh, I really hope so! I love the scenes in Spain etc., but it’s always great to see familiar places as KL. I was in Dubrovnik this summer and did a GOT tour of the old city, it is spectacular in person, and the show has truly done amazing things for the reegion. The tour guides and shopkeepers all seemed really sad it hadn’t filmed there last year! Especially considering only 20 years ago parts of the old city were bombed, it made me so happy to see Croatia be known internationallly for something other than the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s! Spain gets enough tourism! :p
    And apparently when they film, they put up real Lannister/Baratheon flags on the old battlements, to let the locals know there’s filming going on. That would be the coolest thing to see!!

  43. Anna,

    Well, if Croatia is known internationally only for GoT and the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, it’s shame-shame-shame to the international community.

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