Game of Thrones preparations in Spain roll along this week, with the next stop in the Valencian town of Peñíscola planned for tomorrow.
According to ModExpor International, who handles extras casting in Spain, Game of Thrones will be hunting for locals in Peñíscola on July 6th to take part in filming the show this fall. The announcement provides hints as to what locale the town might stand in for, and also provides the shooting dates this October. The casting notice:
The announcement says that that on July 6th, starting at 8:00 AM, ModExpor is searching for extras at the Pabellion Polideportivo Municipal Calle Marjal in Peñíscola.
They’re looking for men and women ages 18-65 of all races (white, black, Asian, and Mediterranean are mentioned on the casting announcement)
They prefer applicants to be or particularly looking for extras that are:
Thin
Men in good physical condition (No bodybuilders)
Men with short hair and women with long hair (dark-haired preferably), with no modern hairstyles or unnatural colors like green, purple, blue, pink, etc.
Men may have to cut their facial hair
No tattoos and they will be checking arms and legs.
Extras will be booked from October 1st through 9th, and so this confirms the shooting dates in that area. There may be some rehearsal time in there but it’s safe to assume most of this is the filming schedule.
The announcement concludes with the statement that, “Due to high demand we can only select 600 men and 600 women.” It doesn’t specify whether this is the initial screening number or if this is the final number of extras they will be booking. 1200 would be a very large of extras for a final amount, however.
Peñíscola is a peninsular seaport with a small lighthouse and a medieval castle called Castell del Papa Luna, named after the Antipope Benedict XIII, Pedro de Luna.
The broadness of the casting call in some respects but still preferring dark hair suggests Meereen/Essos, to me. The interiors of the castle could be used in a variety of ways, of course, and the castle itself reminds me of some of the fortresses we saw in Croatia.
Hey guys, so there’s this rumor going around that Euron is actually cut and the pirate listed in the castings is an original character created by D+D. Can anyone please confirm or deny this?
Ethan C,
Don’t believe in rumors.
Ethan C,
where did you read this?
Ethan C,
I see someone on Reddit or 4chan has been bored and making stuff up again.
Sue the Fury,
thanks for quick reply sue!
Ethan C,
Don’t believe in this. Just wait for SDCC. 😉
Ethan C,
Book purist nonsense as always.
It seems that we’ll have just the minimum of King’s Landing next year.
Dany,
Maybe Cersei will blow it up earlier than I expected. Or we’ll simply get fewer exterior shots. Season 5 was a record; lots of King’s Landing streets… and we didn’t even get to see the throne room!
The call for diversity has me thinking Essos since Westeros is typically very white. I’m guessing this could be Meereen, Braavos, or Pentos? Somewhere over there lol
Satin,
or dorne
Mihnea,
You got me there. Then I guess s6 is gonna be Dorne dominated if that’s the case but…. this particular exterior doesn’t look very Dormish in style to me, though. I have a hunch its elsewhere since we’re more like to see more Essos than Dorne.
Satin,
Most Spaniards are white… The only difference with the turists is the turists turned red and the Spanish turned tanned with sunlight… And if they film on October, they won’t be much tanned people (it’s the beginning of the rainy days, like when they shoot on Seville, it was raining almost all the time).
I wonder how they’re gonna do the casting call at Navarra (in Spain, 1,70-1,75 is tall, specially in females) with brown hair and skin… The north is taller people but very pale, blonde or brown hair and blue eyes… The south is more brown, but smaller… They don’t really fit in the descriptions (and if you look closer, in Dany-Drogon fly, there’s a lot of blond people lol).
Satin,
No more Dorne, please. And the northern storyline, how much screentime will have? I mean,
, it should be drastically reduced.
It seems like Cersei will be sitting out next season like Bran did for season 5.
Satin,
Could still quite easily be Oldtown. It’s one of the busiest ports in the ASoIaF universe and is a seat of learning and trade. It’s the second most important city in Westeros after KL. Would be quite plausible for it to have a lot more people of different ethnicities passing through it and even settling.
TheTouchOfFrost,
I agree with you.
aurane waters,
You’re a funny guy.
Dany,
North/The Wall and Beyond the Wall together should have good amount of screen time.
Bran is back, Brienne/Podrick (Stannis ? 😀 )Sansa with Reek. Davos, Mel+Night’s Watch with widlings and obviously Boltons. Thanks to casting info Northern lords will be in next season.
SlayerNina,
I am well aware that most Spaniards are white. However, this specific call is requesting races outside of white folks with dark hair and a tan so given the show’s track record of casting, I’m going to take my guesses on this locale fitting a storyline in Essos.
King’s Landing should also be more diverse because of trade and politics and yet…
Mormota101,
it seems like they’re not filming in dubrovnik this year. surely they need the great sept of baelor location if they intend to keep in king’s landing?
Satin,
It is quite diverse. Just not been very well represented on screen!
Also, Oldtown has a more significant harbour plus the Citadel would draw in people from all over the world to study. Think it would make sense for the show to present Oldtown as being more diverse (without becoming too unrealistic) than other cities so that it doesn’t come across as too similar to KL or Qarth. Also depends on what locations of the city they’re planning on showing. The docks and Citadel would have a great more ethnic diversity than other parts of the city.
the broadness of the races, including black and Asian, but also white, does suggest a large city, likely in Essos. Perhaps there will be more in Volantis or Pentos? Except, we haven’t seen a whole lot of Asian or black people in any city yet, anywhere. Oldtown could also be a very cosmopolitan city, especially since we haven’t seen it yet.
It’s Daenerys’ Omni-Ethnic Invasion Army of Fire (OEIAF, for short).
Kay,
The only Asian individuals on GoT that I can recall include the priestess in Volantis, Irri, and some of the Dornish characters like Ellaria and Nymeria. Apart from Saan and Areo (Essos natives) the only black people I can recall on this show have been in Braavos, Qarth, and Slaver’s Bay most notably. Essos is the safest bet imo. Apart from Dorne, the show has done little to show any diversity in Westeros. Even in Braavos, a city made of peoples from all sorts of races—a fact that is explicitly depicted in canon unlike Oldtown, only one unambiguously nonwhite person was shown before Jaqen made his grand change into Jaqen. Somehow I doubt Oldtown will be much better in that regard. Southern Essos seems like the best choice as far as speculation is concerned.
Jeff O’Connor (JeffZero on some sites),
Her PCness is perplexingly annoying!
TheTouchOfFrost,
I agree with you. The Summer Islands captain of the Cinnamon Wind and his daughter are quite familiar with Oldtown, and it is a “college town” after all. I think we’re looking at Oldtown here.
Unless we’re headed to Asshai next season. 😉 (Not really. Couldn’t resist the troll. Sorry.)
Lovin all the new locales, HBO expanding the world of GoT, prepping viewers for spin-offs. No Croatia mentioned yet because they will film there in November thru December when it’s colder in lieu of Set/Oct, so no need for casting calls yet, it does snow in Dubrovnik after all.
Glad HBO is now going full bore setting up the world properly, like Dorne and the Dothraki, I was fist pumping when they finally showed a true Khalisar in ep. 10. With all the new locales and expanded world HBO is gearing for in season 6, I see this as a sign they got an extra season out of D&D, plus as mentioned above world building for spin-offs.
Ashara D,
If not there then Ib! 😛
Sue the Fury,
No offence, but after the past couple seasons of people somehow knowing things about the new season before it aired one could be forgiven for taking these leaks for more than just a grain of dalt.
Actually I think Oldtown may be the showrunners’ chance to introduce some diversity into the cast. However this part of the quote,
“Men with short hair and women with long hair (dark-haired preferably), with no modern hairstyles or unnatural colors like green, purple, blue, pink, etc.
Men may have to cut their facial hair”
kind of suggests not a cosmopolitan city. Why would a city’s shifting population have traditional hairstyles and hair colors? For example, why wouldn’t it have men with long hair in braids? Why shouldn’t someone have lighter hair in that specific location?
goodkinghenry,
Finding out spoilers after episodes have been filmed (some publicly and involving extras), screeners have been sent out, and after all episodes have been sent to ADR and then to subtitlers is totally different than finding out plot details before production even begins.
Right now all we have to go on are the books, the casting breakdowns and whatever auditions surface.
Mihnea,
Apparently there was a podcast with David and Dan and they confirmed it. I couldn’t find any concrete evidence but I saw a lot of people talking about it so I was worried
Kay,
I think by that they mean hairstyles that are distinctly modern and don’t look like they’re from that period or the period that the show is based on. Also unatural-looking hair dye would look silly in the show. The facial hair thing will depend on the character I assume but I think big bushy beards aren’t going to be as popular in the hotter climes of more Southern Westeros. Also keeps Northerners and Wildings more identifiable.
Sue the Fury,
I hope so. The “confirmation” of who the pirate supposedly was sounded unbelievably stupid
Ethan C,
“Apparently” D&D confirmed Euron is cut and that this pirate is an invented character and the Internet didn’t explode? Yeah, right.
Ethan C,
I’m curious. Who was suggested? Can you link to it?
Turncloak,
I’ve thought of the possibility before I heard any rumors. That said, the description was so specific. The only bit missing was the eye patch.
I hope this is isn’t a stupid question, but does shooting KL stuff later in the year than previously have any effect on when S6 starts? I’m assuming they’ve just moved things around a little to show climate change in KL, maybe to allow for Lena’s pregnancy or other factors we don’t know about, and it’ll be hitting our screens by mid-April as normal?
I’m thinking that as no-one has mentioned it everything is following the usual time-frame closely enough for them not to comment, but I’m only vaguely aware of when they’ve done stuff previously. Am I right in thinking outdoor things summer/early autumn, indoor stuff late autumn/winter?
I have a feeling they won’t show a casting reel in this Comic Con. There just aren’t enough major castings. (But they did show Yezzan in the reel last year, so maybe they’ll include the bit parts in it too)
jentario,
Euron, Tarly family so father, mother, brother, sister. septon maribald/elder brother combo, 2 northen lords, even Arthur Dayne!….etc. there are more then enough
Mihnea,
Most of them appear in one or two episodes though. Even Euron and Tarly probably won’t have crazy screentime
jentario,
I think that the reel last year built up the characters to be more important than they actually were. Only really the High Sparrow delivered. But meh it gets the fans salivating so they’ll probably do another if they’ve sorted the casting by then…even if it’s only 2 or 3 characters.
jentario,
so dit Yezzan and even Trystane for that matter
we will surely have a video with new cast menbers, how inportant they are remains to be seen.
Why? Because Lena’s baby is due any day? She is a professional actress. Lot’s of actresses work very soon after giving birth. Mayhaps D&D will give her the professional courtesy and let her film late in the production schedule.
There is no way Cersei is cut for season 6; not the way her story was left.
Darkstar,
Some would have said the same about Bran. And no shooting at Croatia is suspicious… 😉
Count me as another who is thinking Oldtown.
jentario,
No shooting in Croatia has not been confirmed. Not by a long shot.
The thought of Lena being left out of season 6 makes me shiver…no way they are leaving her out. Storywise it is impossible and I think the show would suffer from her absence. She is one of the best things that happened to the show (just like the inevitable departure of Charles Dance was one of the worst things that happened to the show :P)
Well, both cast descriptions said a “very” good part. That indicates mucho screentime to me. Two “High Sparrow size” roles at the least. And perhaps even bigger than that.
jentario,
IIRC, Kinvara, the priestess from Volantis also will have a good part next season, so, we have three characters than deserve being present at SDCC.
Penis Cola.
Cumsprite,
You beat me to it. People must love Penis flavored cola in that area
Why does everybody think they won’t film in Croatia this year? Toning down filming doesn’t mean stopping filming. We will see King’s Landing and most likely Meereen exteriors next year, just less than previous years.
El Witcher,
I’da been on it sooner, but I only just now found out that I am covering Rygar’s shift today.
Cumsprite,
LOL. I am glad I am not the only one who thought that 😉
aurane waters,
She will not. She can not. Under no circumstances. The reason for that is pretty much what Darkstar already said, but to add to that, not only is she a professional actress, who is at an important point in her characters arc, she is a main actress in one of the most expensive shows on the planet and she has a contract with HBO. The only way for her not to be in season 6 would be if HBO frees her from that contract. No way in hell are they going to do that, because she was pregnant or has a new born child. Give her her a little bit of special treatment? Sure and maybe us seeing a little bit less of Cersei next season will be part of it, but there is know way she is out of season 6.
Agree. Lena was preggers all through S1 and they did a pretty good job hiding it (wasn’t that why she was clothed in the tower sex scene?). That she’ll have already delivered isn’t a reason to cut her from the season. Sidelining Cersei in your penultimate year sounds ridiculous.
Is anyone else starting to get get good in Spanish from studying these announcements? Now I read them first!
Volantis! Dany has to take that down, it’s like the last standing safe haven for slavery.
MaesterofMasonry,
Im in for Volantis or Braavos
Absolutely! Of course, already knowing Portuguese makes it fairly easy to understand Spanish…
Darkstar,
I know, I’m just teasing. There’s no way a whole season of the show will skip King’s Landing. They aren’t nearly the same magnitude as the actors in Bran’s story, and in general King’s Landing is just the center of all things Westeros unlike Bran who’s largly disconnected from every other storyline.
Simeon,
That is true 😉
I was expecting Peñíscola to be the Rock, so I’m a bit disappointed. Oldotwn part 2, Essos? I really don’t know what they will film there.
Ah, but Bran probably is a more important character for the story than is anybody at King’s Landing right now! Cersei is the only major character left in King’s Landing, although I suppose that Jaime might be returning there. (I guess that is an open question: Doran’s captain might panic and dump Jaime & Bronn on a lifeboat after they realize Myrcella’s dead.)
Basically, we can expect the important characters to get screen time in proportion to their contribution to the story. Cersei probably has some notable contributions to the Winter story, and she’ll at least start in King’s Landing, so we’ll get KL stuff while she is there. And if she leaves: well, that will probably because one or another other lead character has moved into the area.
The King’s Landing scenes could all be shot indoors in Belfast. The trials of Cersei, Margaery, and Loras are still pending. Tommen needs to get out of bed. Possibly the funeral for Myrcella. Kevan needs to be shown a competent ruler. And of course, Littlefinger is there, so that means there’ll be a brothel scene or three.
Sword of the Morning,
I believe that Littlefinger has already left KL for the Vale. He will be there or in WF. As his brothel was trashed, there is no need to stay in that dangerous place.
Anyone who thinks Lena Headey won’t be in season 6 is mistaken; she’s the focal point of the entire King’s Landing storyline.
Sword of the Morning,
Won’t we need an outdoor trial by combat with Ser Robert Strong? Cersei’s trial by combat should be at least as popular as Tyrion’s, right? I wonder who’ll fight for the Sparrows.
Disclaimer – I don’t buy into Cleganebowl and think it sounds totally contrived and stupid.
Based on what the show has given us (and taken away) I suspect that Lancel will fight for the Faith. Robert Strong will beat him, clearing Cersei. The show has left Kevan alive at this point. So that would pave the way for an even more massive rift between Kevan and Cersei, leading to Cersei arranging for his assassination.
I think IF, and I’m still at IF, Jaime makes it back to King’s Landing from Dorne, he will only be there for a for two scenes before he is sent off (or takes off) for another part of Westeros before Cersei’s trial. Just long enough for him to be utterly disappointed by what Cersei has become and refuse to fight for her.
Ginevra,
Afternoon chuck *waves across the Atlantic*. I think you’re missing three crucial words here: CLEGANBOWL – GET HYPE!! It’s why they’re casting for so many extras. Gonna make Hardhome look like er….a very boring low key thing 😀
EDIT: Mind you, might see my giant killer penguins after all if the birds decide to stick together 😉
Lulu’s Mum,
Greetings, Mother of Lulu! It’s great to see you. I hope the penguins don’t eat the sparrows – err, I mean, I hope the penguins do eat the Sparrows.
Ginevra,
And good to hear from you too! Most of the talk at the moment is about book things I’m only vaguely aware of, so I can’t really join in. I was mainly a lurker before S5 and only occasionally posted stuff, but joined in with gusto this time and now I’m missing everyone. Well, not the people who are just here to be as rude as they can to others, but most people, so here’s a general wave for them as well 😀 I need something to get my teeth into while we wait *sigh* only around 40 weeks to go.
As for the sparrows, gonna need some pretty big hungry penguins, although perhaps just taking out the leaders will be enough. I await their beaky justice 😉
Casting in Almeria
https://twitter.com/ModexporCasting/status/618086681082773504
😀
H.Stark,
Cool! I wish I could make out all of what this says, but I’m sure a translation will be posted soon. Thanks.
Lulu’s Mum,
I know what you mean. There are a dozen or two on here who are so much fun.
Interesting that this call for extras is not open to all races (very dark Mediterranean and black only), and they’re specifying dark hair only. They’re also casting 2,400 extras total. Wow.
HotPinkLipstick,
You’ve just reminded me the show isn’t quite up to date with the books yet! I shall say no more 😛
H.Stark,
M,
The Almeria location was first reported here:
https://watchersonthewall.com/almeria-in-spain-unofficially-confirmed-for-game-of-thrones-season-6-extras-casting-on-july-9-10/
Some of us speculated it was Dothraki and Daenerys-related. If the casting is limited to very dark Mediterranean or black, it is definitely nowhere in Westeros, it is Essos, but could be non-Vaes Dothrak. Why would a lot of black characters be in Vaes Dothrak? So, another location for Daenerys? Nearer the coast but in a desert-like area?
Kay,
It is most likely but as I remember there were quite a lot of white Dothraki in the first season.