Game of Thrones season 5 filming kicks into high gear in Belfast

Though Game of Thrones season 5 filming began last week with the well-known pink GOT signs popping up across Northern Ireland, it’s revving up now with several cast members arriving in Belfast.

Carice van Houten shared this photo today:

Kit Harington revealed at San Diego Comic Con that he starts filming today for what he calls a “great scene.” Perhaps he’s working with the fire priestess?

Another face we last saw at the Wall, Kristofer Hivju, is also headed for the set. According to Adressa.no, Hivju’s performance in a play in a Trondheim festival is being postponed due to his commitments to the show, as Tormund Giantsbane. The newspaper reports that Hivju is needed to shoot GoT on the night of August 1st-2nd. The festival director’s remarks in the article imply this is Hivju’s only night shoot.

Sophie Turner confirms in an interview with The Wrap that she starts filming Wednesday in Belfast, where all her shooting with occur this year. She revealed that Sansa will be playing on her sexuality to manipulate Littlefinger in season 5.

Other cast members apparently in the Belfast area or rumored to be filming soon include Iain Glen, Daniel Portman, Will Tudor, and Brian Fortune.

Production crews are turning up across Northern Ireland, as well. We received a tip from a reader that they came across a Game of Thrones film crew just this morning setting up at Sallagh Braes near Larne. The crew was in the early stages of setting up but there were signs for horses in place. Sallagh Braes has been a location for the show several times already, going back to the first episode.

There have also been sightings of the ‘GOT’ signage outside Banbridge today, according to one person on Twitter, with a large green screen being spotted as the crew filmed in a field. The Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge have hosted Game of Thrones for several seasons now, and so it’s possible they were out in this area.

Sue the Fury: The sightings are only going to get more numerous from here on out. Let the fun begin! Thanks to Sinclair for finding and translating the Kristofer Hivju news, Ali for the Larne tip, and to all the eagle-eyed GoT fans out there.

*Note: The spoiler button on the toolbar is not functional at the moment. Spoiler coding must be entered manually for the time being. Instructions are in the FAQ. Sorry for the inconvenience!*

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

90 Comments

  1. Jon and Melisandre are what I’m most looking forward to in Season 5, so exciting that it’s going on now

  2. I’m very intrigued by the Kristofer Hivju news. Since they had made him a series regular last year, I assumed he would have at least similar screentime this year. Now it sounds like his role will be very, very minimal. Interesting.
    EDIT: I had previously had some speculation on Tormund’s role this season, but the spoiler coding appears to be on the fritz again.

  3. Did anything interesting follow that Kingsmoot location rumor? As you may recall, it was reported accompanied by some photos that the tour guides on the Northern Ireland filming locations tour were claiming a certain place was chosen for shooting the Kingsmoot. This may very well have been something an imaginative person just made up, but at least someone else must have taken that tour by now, right? 🙂

    Here is the Imgur gallery with comments: http://imgur.com/gallery/y25qq/new

  4. So looks like

    For the Watch!

    will be filmed in August 1-2 (since that’s Tormund’s only night shoot).

  5. Ser Low-Res,

    Someone on WIC said that his friend also took the tour and was told that was the Kingsmoot location, but I’m inclined to say that that guide was bullshitting both of them.

  6. In regards the return of Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwick, I wonder if he will be fulfilling some of the most important parts of Bowen Marsh’s character from the books. Or am I out on a limb here?

    [Edited to remove spoilers because I can’t get the spoiler tags to work]

    Andrew,

    Now it sounds like his role will be very, very minimal. Interesting

    I don’t know if we can infer that is the case. I took the news to mean he had only one night shoot, not that the night shoot was the only one(s) that he had.

  7. “It is always cold on the Wall.”
    “You think so?”
    “I know so, my lady.”
    “Then you know nothing, Jon Snow,” she whispered.

    That part gave me chills when I read it. Hope it makes it onto the show

  8. Great news! Oh, I can’t bloody wait to see

    Jon and Stannis go head-to-head!

    A night shoot, hmm.

    I do hope they aren’t burning Tormund instead of Rattleshirt, if they are including that plot point. Even if he’s gruffer than he is in the books, I love Tormund in the show!
  9. Count me among those who are looking forward to Jon – Mel above everything else this season !

    As for Tormund, I find it strange that he’ll only have one night-shooting… one could think that night scenes for the Wall story arc could bring some damn good visuals… but after all, we dont know exactly what they’ll do out of Tormund this year.

  10. Isabelle,

    Agree.

    Really wouldn’t want to see the Rattleshirt story line handed off to Tormund. I doubt they would do that since Hivju is a regular.

    With certain characters on the bench (Belwas, Arianne, possibly LS), some of their exploits will certainly be redistributed.

  11. jentario,

    Thx for the reply. Well, it’s probably a reserved location for something, so we can still hope for the Iron Islands and the ‘moot. It seems more likely that the tour guides made a very bold guess (more polite way of saying bullshitting 🙂 rather than had any specific info from HBO.

  12. mariamb,

    I doubt the whole

    Rattleshirt-Mance switcheroo

    will happen on the show.

    We don’t need more fakeout deaths, especially with the Jon stabbing coming up, and perhaps Brienne being hanged(still a possibility).
  13. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I sure hope not.

    Fake-out deaths get tedious. That switcheroo was hardly a high point of ADWS.
    However, I am much more worried about Pod’s possible hanging.
  14. So, the theory that they’re filming the Northern stuff later, during autumn is simply wrong. I guess they won’t cast more people in the Northern arc… I think I’m going to cry 🙁

  15. So yes, it’s definitely possible that Hivju will be available for more filming later in the year. But if he can’t get out this particular night scene shooting on the 1st/2nd, it must be a big one.
    Perhaps one involving location and/or lots of extras and/or other actors availability? Maybe a scene with Ciaran Hinds? Lord knows his availability must be severely limited. What do others think the scene could be?

  16. vlad:
    So, the theory that they’re filming the Northern stuff later, during autumn is simply wrong. I guess they won’t cast more people in the Northern arc… I think I’m going to cry

    We have no idea about that, for one.

    Furthermore, they’re talking about the Wall part of things, where I think we’re mostly aware that the cast of characters that’s currently there remains pretty consistent. It has nothing to do with scenes that may be shot, say, for Winterfell.

    Until we reach critical mass (Arianne) or are dealing with a character that lifts out of the story without any issues (Coldhands), it’s kind of silly to assume people have been cut. They’ve left a LOT of stuff in.

  17. I’m looking forward to the Wall storyline and the Ironborn… No, wait…

    I’m just kidding people, don’t want to start this all over again.

  18. mariamb:

    However, I am much more worried about Pod’s possible hanging.
    Me too. It would be like hanging Hot Pie. If and when Brienne survives, hopefully she’ll get him out as well. In the show and the book.
  19. LordLannister:

    they’ll lose their shit, similar to the red wedding
    Oh it’ll be ugly. The streets will be awash with tears and curls. But hopefully it’ll happen in Episode 9 and there’ll be a nice fiery surprise in Episode 10!
  20. Love this time of year! Speculation is at a high, every little detail is dissected to an extreme and people miss days off work just to get a glimpse of a leaked set pic.

    Bring it on!

  21. as for Jon snow how are they going to end his final scene ? are they going to spoil the up coming books and show us immediately if is he dead for real ? or show us if something alse happend to him from TWOW and ADOS?? . maybe this scene will be the last scene in s05 finale and when jon fall down and say “stick them with the pointy end ” they will cut the scene to ghost and will see his eyes turn to white then red again ??
  22. vlad:
    So, the theory that they’re filming the Northern stuff later, during autumn is simply wrong. I guess they won’t cast more people in the Northern arc… I think I’m going to cry

    They shoot the Wall for the moment because it’s CGI enhanced a lot (weather, landscapes…) so they can shoot it anytime.

    It’s a different matter for the Northern arc where they wont be able to cgi autumn as easy so Winterfell will be shot later down the year.

  23. I wonder if they’ll start showing signs of winter this year, like snow in the riverlands and winterfell. Cause shortly after The Walk, King’s Landing is in knee deep snow.

    Ps: The Wall is going to be one of the best storylines this year, no doubt.

  24. vlad:
    So, the theory that they’re filming the Northern stuff later, during autumn is simply wrong. I guess they won’t cast more people in the Northern arc… I think I’m going to cry

    vlad,
    It’s not a theory, it’s a fact. They said they are shooting in the autumn, Elizabeth Webster (Fat Walda) is only starting to shoot in the autumn, and Alfie Allen, Iwan Rheon and Michael McElhatton haven’t been shooting anywhere (they aren’t even confirmed for season 5 at the GoT wiki, although they will of course be in it).

    Arkash,

    Thanks, I didn’t know the reason and was wondering if they’re just doing the interior scenes at the Wall.

  25. Do we have any updates on the spoiler issues situation, because this whole copy/paste thing is getting uber tedious 🙂

  26. WoW – Sorry to be pesky but would love to reveal spoilers on my iPad. Any luck in the fix? Thanks –

  27. I’m thinking Tormund will take over Val’s role entirely (

    so being sent North by Jon to get the remaining wildlings and bringing them back

    ). After that is done he’ll take over his own character role starting with his arrival. So I’d imagine he’ll be in about 4 episodes this year.

    Edit: Just have to say I’m, like many others, really HAPPY to be here on this website!

  28. Annara Snow,

    A Dance with Sandor!

    After his stint as a gravedigger doesn’t work out (something about people needing to be dead before burial), Sandor creates Westeros’ first dance school. He hires Syrio as his dancing master of course.
  29. I can’t wait for the Wall stuff this season. Jon and Stannis and Jon and Mel scenes will be awesome.

  30. Really looking forward to the scenes at the Wall. The look Melisandre gave Jon was really intriguing. It’s gonna be fun to find out what it means.

    I thought it was great that these two storylines have merged together.

  31. AAAGGGHHH! In response to the comment above “I wonder how the Unsullied will react to…” This Unsullied did not react well to reading that just then. Not at all Nor the other unmarked spoilers littering this new site. Can people PLEASE STOP posting spoilers until this place has spoiler code working. To those of you who’ve given instructions on how to make it work, either you’ve got it wrong to or they’re not listening because I have yet to see a post that has got it working. I am going back to lurking at the old site until I know it is safe here. The ads are better than the spoilers. It may be too late though with all I’ve read here in the last two days. I now feel sullied.

  32. I was on my windows phone. I am now on my work computer that uses Internet Explorer. On both I see only plain text. Hovering over some parts of text I see “Click for Spoilers” but I can see them without clicking. On both “this” looks like

    “this”

    . (except there is a line break before the supposedly spoiler tagged bit)

  33. Bliss,

    Just checked with IE 11 on windows 7 64 bit and I can confirm that the spoilers are not working. Just use FF or Chrome. 🙂
    The line break seems to be an universal thing, btw.

  34. Bliss,

    Okay, that’s a new one. I’m sorry, you’re the first person to report that particular glitch so I’m not sure how to solve it. They did use coding in their posts. I’m seeing spoiler coding all over the thread actually, including over the posts you mention not seeing covered, so I’m not sure what to say. I know that Oz has been working with someone extensively today to roll out a new plan overnight or in the morning. I’ll check back with him.

  35. Thanks, hopefully the new plan works. Whatever you guys had re spoilers on the old site worked on my phone, by the way. So maybe you can just use that. Of course you’d probably already be doing that if you could I suppose. I don’t really want to go back there. You guys are better in everything else so I’ll check again tomorrow and hope it works. PS don’t have access to FF or Chrome so I just have to hope you guys find the problem.

  36. Also sorry for being a pain. Hopefully this somehow helps others who are using Internet Exploder.

  37. Might I suggest in any post regarding S5 casting, speculation, filming etc, the only thing that an unsullied reader should look at is the post itself? A good 80% of the comments in any of these posts are just filled with spoilers (as the vast, vast majority of the people who follow this site have read the books). If I were unsullied, I wouldn’t even bother trying to wade through stuff that had a very good chance of spoiling future events.

  38. Yes King Tommen that would be logical wouldn’t it. I probably will from now on. In my defence though, there was a comment above saying this was an Unsullied friendly topic so I thought it was safe. Also on the old site there was no wading necessary for me I just didn’t click on anything blacked out or posts that explicitly said they were for readers only. I just wasn’t expecting it to be visible to me.

  39. Bliss:
    Yes King Tommen that would be logical wouldn’t it. I probably will from now on. In my defence though, there was a comment above saying this was an Unsullied friendly topic so I thought it was safe. Also on the old site there was no wading necessary for me I just didn’t click on anything blacked out or posts that explicitly said they were for readers only. I just wasn’t expecting it to be visible to me.

    Yeah, that’s fair enough. And to be clear, I’m not trying to be unwelcoming, I’m just trying to put myself in your shoes. Even with spoiler tags, I don’t think I’d get much enjoyment looking at people’s thoughts that were 50% redacted. Hope you still can get some level of surprise from the rest of the story on screen.

    And if it’s any level of comfort, we should all be on the same page more or less when S6 info starts coming in.

  40. The message I just added in the posts up top, so you’re aware:

    *Note: We’ve disabled the spoiler coding while we work on getting it fixed, and so the comments section is unfriendly to the Unsullied-eye at the moment. If you haven’t read the books, you may want to skip reading comments for now. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we’re working very hard on getting this fixed!*

    Just wanted you all to know the coding stopped working for everyone right now. It’s not permanent, just while I’m fiddling around in the dashboard.

  41. Don’t worry I interpreted it as being helpful not unwelcoming. I read the comments because I like the light spoilers. Things like, more Dorne coming, this guy is back, this new character look interesting etc. Comparisons between book and TV for things that have already happened are good too. Heavy spoilers like character deaths though I try to avoid.

  42. Bliss: PS don’t have access to FF or Chrome so I just have to hope you guys find the problem.

    Not even to the portable versions? At least in theory you should be able to run them from an USB-stick an pretty much any OS. It could get you in trouble, though if your bosses are really strict about using IE or “massing” with the systems.

  43. Nope. My phone does not seem to support any other browsers and my bosses do not support the 21st century.

  44. Topher:

    They did have Rattleshirt in the show a few seasons back. You don’t think they’d use him again?

    Perhaps. They used Dontos after benching him for a season, so it’s certainly possible. It just wouldn’t have the same emotional impact.

    Abyss,

    Awww. This made me smile so much–thanks for the link! Aimee is such a delight and deserves nothing but the best. I hope she gets some fun roles in the future!

  45. nym sand:

    as for Jon snow how are they going to end his final scene ? are they going to spoil the up coming books and show us immediately if is he dead for real ? or show us if something alse happend to him from TWOW and ADOS?? . maybe this scene will be the last scene in s05 finale and when jon fall down and say “stick them with the pointy end ” they will cut the scene to ghost and will see his eyes turn to white then red again ??
    That’s the question isn’t it. Personally I’m hoping for daggers in the dark in Episode 9 and a nice fiery resurrection at the end of Episode 10. If they open the season with a scene between Mel and Jon, ending with one would also be an amusing parallel.
  46. I actually doubt the show will open at the Wall, more likely Tywin’s funeral (since the bells already tolled for him, I can see the show skipping the finding of his body to start directly with the funerals).

    I hope Aimee lives a long and productive acting career !

  47. Arkash:

    I actually doubt the show will open at the Wall, more likely Tywin’s funeral (since the bells already tolled for him, I can see the show skipping the finding of his body to start directly with the funerals).

    That’s a great idea–it would certainly leave an impression! It would be a shame to miss Cersei’s reaction to his death, though (they could inform her of Tyrion’s escape while they’re at it).

    Any word on whether or not the actor who played Kevan Lannister will be back?

  48. Isabelle,

    I’m hoping for

    Daggers in the Dark

    as the final scene in episode 10. The amount of rage that would cause and anticipation for the next season/book would be astronomical

  49. Isabelle,

    Not so far, and I’ve been checking. But I’ll keep looking, because I quite liked him, and he’s a very experienced actor. Would be a shame to not bring him back.

    Patchy Face,

    Oz did the lion’s share of the work behind the scenes the last few days but of course he can’t pop into comment threads with any spoilers, so I’ll pass on your thanks. 🙂

  50. Don’t know if I’m the only one, but the wait for season 5 feels really different to me.

    In the previous years (starting in season 2) I was always thinking about how they would depict this and that scene from the book. Now I’m more excited about the show in general, instead of thinking too hard about what will actually be on the screen.

    Maybe it’s a by-product of the idea that A LOT of stuff will get cut to make AFFC/ADWD interesting as a single season, but anyway… it’s curious.

    PS: as this is my first post on the new site (I usually lurk a lot), I wish that Sue, Marko, Axey, Oz and Bex will be able to continue their good work here. It already seems that they will!

  51. Sue the Fury: Not so far, and I’ve been checking. But I’ll keep looking, because I quite liked him, and he’s a very experienced actor. Would be a shame to not bring him back.

    Agreed. Even in a small role, he was very good, and it doesn’t seem to make sense to re-cast someone like him. The Mountain versions 1-2-3 couldn’t be helped, the kids that have been re-cast are just that, kids, and then there’s the one-line wonders who have been “re-cast” so to speak like Othell Yarwyk and Beric Dondarrion but none of us are out there clamoring for “random extras” to stay with the cast. (Which just leaves Daario, which, well, what can you do.)

    But Ian Gelder is quite good, even in a more or less small part, and his role seems significant enough to bring back.

  52. Turncloak:

    The amount of rage that would cause and anticipation for the next season/book would be astronomical

    I’ll admit that ending on that note would be amazing, if for no other reason than shock value. But by all the old gods and the new, I want to know what happens

    to Jon! I must know! So if there’s the slightest smidgen of a chance of finding out soon(ish), I’m there!

    😀

  53. Greg:

    This website is 20 times better than what WiC turned into with FanSided

    It’s like reconnecting with an old friend, isn’t it? The muddle and unrest that happened in the interim just fades away and it’s like no time has past. And just in time for what looks to be a fascinating fifth season, what with all the new material.

  54. Has anyone read any true spoilers about Lord Baelish and Sansa aka “Alayne”. It is like most top secret protected storyline that can’t find anything on except, Sophie Turner saying Sansa uses her sexuality to dominate over Lord Baelish. I am excited to see the new Sansa.

  55. Debba,

    There’s been sightings of Sansa and Littlefinger riding with knights of the Vale on the fields of Ireland, which fits where we left their storyline in Season 4, which is with Robin touring his lands. There’s a rumored encounter with Brienne, though not confirmed. Also, Littlefinger’s been spotted in Croatia, in King’s Landing scenes; that’s definitive, and yes, a big departure from the books in terms of the King’s Landing storyline… and probably in terms of the Vale story line as well, except for the fact that in Season 4 Sansa basically ended her last published chapters, so we really don’t know.

    My theory? Littlefinger disappears for a long while between “Alayne II” and “Alayne III” to go to a wedding and comes back with news of the capital; Petyr points out that Cersei is quickly destroying her own rule, which he laments because he would have liked to “plant some seeds” before everything falls to pieces. Maybe in the show he’ll get his wish with a much more direct version of that scenario, with Littlefinger actually being involved in Cersei’s demise for the sake of the Tyrells (as he was in Joffrey’s death, also in collusion with the Tyrells), and meanwhile Sansa will grow on her own. As for what the story line will be… probably some invented stuff along the way and a climax that D&D have picked from early in Sansa’s TWOW material. But that’s just speculation. What we actually know is Robin, Sansa and Petyr will tour the Vale, though Littlefinger will leave them at some point to travel to the capital.

  56. I wonder, too, if some material won’t come from that Sansa chapter that kept getting cut/moved/postponed…whatever it was that happened with it, that I seem to remember maybe GRRM said there would be some controversy about. I could be splicing two different things together in my mind, but I’m under the impression those are the same chapter.

  57. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    You are correct. What’s more, the controversy has been widely thought to be of a sexual nature, possibly Sansa having sex with someone, which fits Sophie Turner’s mention of Sansa using her sexuality for her advantage. Still, I think Sansa will appear about as much as the Boltons in Season 4 —she’ll have a similarly meaty, worthwhile storyline, but spread-out throughout the season (the Boltons only appeared in three episodes.) I expect some TWOW spoilers from Sansa and Bran, but not until the end of the season.

  58. In what book is the controversial chapter at? I have heard of this too but dont know what book or chapter. I have see one photo of Lord Baelish in Kings Landing but none of Sansa. I know people are conflicted about the story line and it’s probably one of the most anticipated is what happens between Lord Baelish and “Alayne”. That’s probably why there is nothing of those two just sparce here and there things. I am all for it, Sansa could definetly learn from one of the best, gain power and sure did foreshadow Lord Baelish’s feelings and left it hanging and can’t tell is Sansa falling for Baelish or just found his weakness and use it.

  59. Debba,

    The unreleased first Sansa chapter from The Winds of Winter, the sixth book which is yet to be released, is the one that’s been described as controversial.

  60. Luka Nieto,

    Thanks for the confirmation. I think you’re probably right about the amount of time we’ll see Sansa in Season 5.

    Debba,

    It isn’t in any book, at least not yet. As far as Sansa falling for Baelish, or using his weakness, I think she’s absolutely using his weakness. Maybe it’s just because it’s one of the last things I’d ever want to happen, but I just can’t see Sansa falling for him.

  61. Luka Nieto:
    Debba,

    The unreleased first Sansa chapter from The Winds of Winter, the sixth book which is yet to be released, is the one that’s been described as controversial.

    I didn’t realize it was going to be the first Sansa chapter in TWOW. I thought it’s fate had yet to be decided, but there’s plenty of stuff I miss.
    Thanks!!!

Comments are closed.