Preparations for Game of Thrones filming in Spain continue

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The production is crew is busy modifying the Alcázar in Sevilla, Spain in preparation for filming that will occur there from October 10th-18th. Above in a photo by Antonio Pizarro it looks like the crew is adding greenery along the roof edge of the palace (thanks to Jentario for the Twitter link).

ABC Sevilla has an article with a gallery of photos and another article showing scheduled closures for the palace. Note the second article showing closures indicates that filming will begin on Monday the 13th, but previous reports indicated that filming will actually begin this Friday. Either way we will keep you informed as to what is really going on!

Spoilers and more photos after the cut.

Meanwhile over in Osuna, a photo by @artecsevilla shows some set construction (thanks to Cami for the Twitter link).

The source for the Osuna construction is saying that it was supposed to look like Meereen and was for a Tyrion scene. The elevated gazebo structure looks like it could be a spectator’s box for someone important, like Dany? Below are some pictures from the ABC Sevilla gallery.

Note the fence being covered to hide the filming from our little birds.

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Below, also from ABC Sevilla, is an example of the scheduled closures maps. This one shows in red the area that will be closed to the public the entire duration of filming.

D&D have had security locked down much tighter this year and even the actors have been pretty mum on social media as of late. We obviously already know that the Alcazar will be used as Doran’s Water Gardens in Dorne, but that’s all we have at this time. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open out there, and drop us a line if you see something we missed.

115 Comments

  1. It would be awesome to have a ‘sword and sandals’ feel to the fighting pit! Hopefully it wouldn’t be played up too much for the sake of having some extra action, but the Spartacus fan in me misses the genre.

  2. This place is huge and pretty diverse with scenery. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was used for the Water Gardens AND portions of Sunspear.

  3. I hope someone is able to get some pictures. I want really want to get a look of what the Sand Snakes’ costumes will be like!

  4. What a moment, that guy with the camera hanging from his neck is handling his other hanging element, he’s been immortalized as a careless crotch reacher!

  5. Renly’s Peach:
    This place is huge and pretty diverse with scenery. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was used for the Water Gardens AND portions of Sunspear.

    I still believe they will merge the Water Gardens and Sunspear: It is the obvious oppurtunity to simplify without hurting the story at all.

  6. meh, I have a feeling that the Dorne plot will be one of the weakest storylines next season

  7. aurane waters:
    meh, I have a feeling that the Dorne plot will be one of the weakest storylines next season

    Same here, I have the feeling this will be another Qarth…but let’s give them the benefit of doubt and wait to see it on screen before saying anything bad, there’s the (really) small chance to be surprised with something good,

  8. franco,

    I just feel like its going to be a mixture of Oberyn brothel scenes + Robb/Talisa 2.0 (Trystane and Myrcella love story) and cheesy filler

  9. I’d have been happy if they’d left Dorne out of the show, but now they have it in I just hope it’s condensed into something more compelling.

  10. Guys, the role of Mishaël Abia Lopes will have nothing to do with sword fighting, even though this Dutch actor is specialised in sword fighting. Also, he will be seen in the third episode of season 5. He will feature in a scene with Varys and Tyrion.

    I have a source down below, however it is in Dutch. So I suppose most of you will not understand any of it. But you can use Google translate.
    http://www.winteriscoming.nl/2014/10/rol-van-nler-mishael-abia-lopes-cardozo-heeft-niks-met-zwaardvechten-te-maken/

    There you go.

  11. aurane waters,

    To do a spoiler code first type open bracket “[” (without the quotations), then type “spoiler”, then close bracket “]”. Next type your message. Finally redo the first step after typing your message but make sure to add a slash to your close bracket. “/]”

    It should look like [ spoiler ] comment here [ spoiler / ] but without any spaces

  12. RaptorVerhoeven,

    So looks like Varys and Tyrion will be keeping each other company for at least the first three episodes. Still trying to wrap my head around how they’ll tackle that storyline without the Griffs.

  13. The size of the green screen within the Osuna stadium should be crazy huge. I am looking forward to any behind the scenes info about this amazing sequence. The extras for it are so lucky! Unlike the “tame and lame” chaining of the dragons last season, this should be budget-busting nuts!

    I want to be the roaming snack vendor. “Get your honeyed-locusts here! Half-price! I got your honeyed-locusts right here!”

    “Albatross!”

  14. Of the Night,

    Cutting the Griffs makes one Targ only to the throne road fairly straight. Varys might not kill Kevan or if he does he’s still supporting Dany’s claim. I imagine it’s difficult to bring in a new cast mid-towards the end of the series (the whole Dorne contingent, Griffs, Greyjoy’s and north people: fArya, Manderley) all in one season and make the audience care for it to be invested in their story. So some needed to be cut and some consolidated. Griffs I think are the easiest to cut. No foreshadowing of an appearance in the show, no connection revealed to other characters in previous seasons. I don’t know, I think it they can make it work.
  15. Hodor’s Bastard,

    HB! You make me miss ADwD! You think we’ll get the honeyed-locusts
    plot? I got a weakness for that one and Deepwood Motte. Strange what things I miss. Probably because I fear they’ll be cut.

  16. All Hail the Wolf Girl,

    I’d have been happy if they’d left Dorne out of the show, but now they have it in I just hope it’s condensed into something more compelling.

    I would have agreed with you last season But this summer I reread AFFC and DWD, and really got into the Dorne sections in a way I didn’t on first read (at that time I was too busy skipping ahead to read my favorite character chapters!) Not sure how they’ll do it without Arianne, except give her role to the Snakes, but Im not sad that its in the show. They’ve done pretty well; I have hope it will be decent.

  17. Strider,
    Oh sneaky Longshanks! I know nothing other than the night is dark and full of terrors. I am amazed that you and Jentario keep up hope for Deepwood Motte.

    I believe Stannis will go directly to Winterfell. Will Yara/DM matter? Keep up hope about Yara/DM and maybe I’ll join you at some point. So much seems to be cut (Uggghh!) but given what we know thus far, I am all-in regarding the Meereen plotline and the Wall from here on out.

    Cheers!

  18. Strider,

    Honestly, the Griffs in the books are just stealing Dany’s thunder. They’re doing everything Dany should have been way back, while she’s stuck in the Meereen mess.

    Aegon lands first, gets with Dorne, will fight Cersei and probably win given that King’s Landing has fucked itself raw. And then what? Dany repeats the same steps only to fight Aegon instead of Cersei for the Throne. It’s long, unnecessary and it takes away from Dany’s arrival and win (she will win at least for a short while) since she’ll be doing, step by step, exactly what Aegon did.

    Cutting Aegon means Dany reaches Westeros faster, gets with Dorne, fights Cersei not some doomed-to-fail nobody shoehorned into the second half of the series.

    I think it will be very easy to cut Aegon,

    and the story will be more coherent and satisfying for it. Like it or not, you have to admit it’s completely logical given that the show is limited to 7 seasons (or they’ll enter messy contract renegotiations and end up with a much larger budget and a number of recasts).

  19. Hodor’s Bastard,

    I don’t know, but there’s still 2 months left for filming so I wouldn’t rush to say it’s cut. The fact that the Telltale game seems to be set there is our only evidence so far, though…

  20. My one and only hope is they fit in a quick Strong Belwas cameo as a fighter in the pit. Just as a head nod to us book nerds. Gimme a fat guy with scars on his belly D&D….that’s not too much to ask

  21. Young Dragon:
    aurane waters,

    On the plus side, they do have Alexander Siddig, so I’ll give the storyline a chance.

    To be honest, I’m relying on him,

    Jaime and Bronn to prop up the entire Dorne thing. Be happy as Larry if some if not all the Sand Snakes are killed off.
  22. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Regarding the Sand Snakes, given GRRM stated,

    “I hope you like them, because you’re also going to be seeing a lot of them in ‘The Winds of Winter’,”

    It sounds like you will be disappointed re: them being killed off.

  23. Strider,

    I will be devastated if a certain someone doesn’t end up squatting in the tall grass with each stool looser than the the one before (and fouler!) and the more they drank the more they shat and the more they shat the thirstier they grew.

    Poetry!

  24. Cumsprite,

    Yes, I have no doubt you’ll suffer greatly Mr. Sprite if they cut that part. It will ruin your continuing education in the field of scatseography. Until then you’ll just have to dust off that sturdy door stopper of yours and give it another study.

  25. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Wouldn’t say that meant a great deal in relation to the show seeing as

    how many characters including POV ones have been left out completely or killed off early.

    Bookwise, he’s got to do something as they’ve been less than pointless so far. Arianne and Doran were the only things that got me through the dull as ditchwater Dorne chapters. Think D&D realise this was a problem hence

    sending two of the shows most charismatic characters down there.
  26. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    So? Yes, it’s a loss compared to the books, but the truth is that the Blackfyres haven’t been mentioned in the show, and Varys could as easily be supporting Dany… as he ALSO is in the books, which people seem to forget. Their original plan was thwarted; a double invasion with Viserys on one side (leading a Dothtraki horde bought by Dany’s arranged marriage) and Aegon on the other (leading a sell-sword company), presumably arranging for Aegon’s success (since he’s the latter revelation). Now, Viserys is dead, War started prematurely in the Seven Kingdoms, there is no Targaryen-led Dothraki horde coming to Westeros and Daenerys, who had only been considered a pawn in their game, is now a Queen on her own right. That’s why Aegon’s mission at the beginning of ADWD, until Tyrion convinces him otherwise, is to go to Meereen and marry Daenerys. Illyrio and Varys DO support Daenerys, in their own way.
  27. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    On Blackfyres- imagine what a huge clusterfuck the show would get into trying to explain that whole business. The books hardly did a good job (you have to read Dunk and Egg to understand that shit).

    On Varys’s plan… I want to see how the show handles it first. I won’t be happy if they try to sell Varys as an all time Dany supporter since that doesn’t fit what he did in previous seasons. I also won’t be happy if he continuously jumps ship whenever his bets tank. That would seriously undermine his abilities as a true player. Then again, the show has already loosened up Littlefinger- maybe they’ll give all of them a weak spot.

  28. jentario,

    I did agree with you about making sense for the show to cut those characters.

    But I’m with HB when it comes to the books’

    Targ’s second Dragon Dance. I like the idea and history does repeat itself. Martin chose a different road for her, developing this Meereenese plot.

    And I’ve enjoyed it as he wrote it. No use wishing for something different now.

  29. jentario,

    I don’t think this is a problem necessarily. Varys has played his part as he must in the Small Council, and the only time he actually tried to kill Daenerys, she wasn’t the one Varys had his hopes pined on. Also, it can easily be argued he wanted Jorah to save her and arranged the pardon to be given kid before she could be poisoned (the timing always was a bit too convenient, anyway.) There’s plenty of explanations, but I doubt they’ll go in depth with it. We won’t get something like that whole chapter in Harry Potter book 6 of Snape exhaustively explaining to Bellatrix —that is, to the reader— why, if he really is a Death Water, he didn’t kill Harry in each and every one of his many opportunities. But I do expect Varys (and Illyrio if he in fact comes back) to explain himself just a bit.
  30. Said it before but I think Varys to be revealed as backing Dany all the time would be a massive anti-climax and also not make any sense with him making no attempt to protect her by manipulating information. Much rather have Aegon on the throne seeing as he’s not just sitting around and doing nothing…in fact there’s not many people I wouldn’t have on the throne before Dany! She’s gone from one of the most interesting characters in the books/show to a complete dullard. The fact more interesting characters are being used to serve her storyline is a travesty! I hope GRRM throws us a twist as I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t think she’ll be sat on the throne at the end of it all. That’s why I liked the Aegon revelation. It at least made it more interesting that there was another person with Targ blood with a good claim who was actually going for it instead of sitting on their thumbs acting like a schoolgirl with a crush! 😛
  31. Luka Nieto,

    Oh, he only tried to kill her once so he certainly can be her supporter!- You 😉

    First of all, I’ll argue that no- Varys could not have been certain about Jorah saving Dany. The timing was conveniant because of plot convenience. If Dany had decided to take a left turn instead of a right, she wouldn’t have found the wine seller that day. Then she’s come the next day, without Jorah, and get herself poisoned. And how well does Varys really know Jorah? Can you really count on a man who’s spying on Dany (fully knowing that her enemies, or some of them at least) want her dead- would actually go as far as saving her rather than taking the royal pardon and fucking off back to Westeros? You can’t. Varys had no control over that.

    At best, you could say he bought a sloppy assassin on purpose to stir up Drogo and have him set for Westeros. But even that’s a stretch. Poison is poison, and Dany could well have died.

    Now the actual assassination isn’t the only reason Varys being loyal to Dany makes no sense: throughout seasons 2-4 he keeps warning the Lannisters about Dany and her dragons. He’s very serious about it, going as far as arguing with Cersei, Tyrion and Tywin over the seasons to try and convince them to do something. And he managed to make Tywin act- without seeding the whole banishing-Jorah thing. For all he knew, Tywin would order him to but a Faceless Man and kill Dany once and for all.

    What they CAN do is have Illyrio be a loyal Dany supporter (though it beats me why he would be one) and that Varys is the skeptic of the two. Then in season 5 Illyrio could convince Varys that Dany would be the best “for the realm” (which Varys supposedly cares about).

  32. TheTouchOfFrost,

    So should she have left her people to be slaughtered and reenslaved, putting them in worse positions than where they began? Anyway, I think the show should go all in with trying to make Meereen interesting (and we do have a few good leaks!) because we can’t have Dany being a dullard in the show. Then in season 6 she should outfit all her army with jetpacks and set off to Westeros to replace the Griff stuff.

  33. I still can’t wrap my head around

    the Griffs being cut

    after that nod from Varys at the IT with Oberyn, and all the reasons listed by which him being a Dany supporter from the start doesn’t make sense.

    Besides, MAYBE i’m a bit off since i don’t really speak any Dutch, but when asked about his exact role, he didn’t really give any clue in this interview. In fact, the only sources for him being “a brothel guard” are, well, this site (watchersonthewall.com/mishael-lopes-cardozo-cast-game-thrones-season-5), and IMDB. In the former, Cian only mentions “rumors” (by who?), and the latter is most likely a fan edit motivated by the first one.

    In fact, the “brothel guard” rumor, to me, seems to be germane to the “sword-fighter type of role” rumor, whose refusal is actually the main topic of the linked interview. So, aren’t we, for the UMPTEENTH time, jumping to conclusions?

  34. Moreover, i just found his Facebook account, and this is what he had to say about the matter, in plain English on Sept. 30th:

    “To everybody:

    Very important as rumors are spreading like a bad desease.

    I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SWORDFIGHTING IN GAME OF THRONES!!

    I never said this or claimed this I was there only as an actor, nothing more.
    AT5 did an interview and I was very specific about this and I had 20 students as witnesses. I only said again that I was there as an actor and that I like to see the sworfighting change in filmindustry to a more historical level in general.
    I said I did audition and one thing let to another, refering to getting hired for the job and traveling to Ireland. They adited it so that it sound like I had something to do with the fighchoreography. They even state so in the title. Which is false information. I’m trying to make them rectify the video.”

    http://www.facebook.com/mishael.lopescardozo

    To me, everything points toward the “brothel guard” role being an unfounded rumor. The guy himself insists that he (or his people) has not disclosed anything about the type of role he’s doing, and i don’t think he’s lying.

  35. jentario,

    Her people were the Dothraki who stayed loyal to her and the Unsullied she had just obtained at that point. The rest of the city should have been given the option of coming with her or taking their chances on their own. That was the point she should have moved on Westeros instead of marching from city to city around the region. The only enjoyment I got out of that sacrimonious decision was the parallel with Western policy in the Middle East of trying to impose democracy and freedoms on a culture so resistant to it.
    They need to try and make her more interesting I agree but the awful MissanGrey romance and making Daario as bigger prick as he is in the books is not helping. Selmy is the only character I find myself giving two frigs about in that part of the world now Jorah’s wandered off.
    Personally, I’m rooting for Dany to not get the throne!

  36. TheTouchOfFrost,

    I realize that just because characters are still alive in the books doesn’t mean they have to stay alive on the show. That said, GRRM does sound like he has big plans for at least some of them in the upcoming book, so that probably likelihood of them being killed off early in the show.

    While you may feel the Sand Snakes have been “less than pointless” so far, I dare say while some may share your opinion, not everyone does. Moreover, not everyone found the Dorne chapters “dull as dishwater.” I loved the Dorne chapters, and, quite frankly, Arianne was the least interesting of the main characters I “met” in Dorne. I may be in the minority, I don’t know, but other than the logistics of what they will have to adjust because of her absence, I wasn’t sorry in the least to have Arianne cut, and was very pleased to have at least 3 Sand Snakes in.

  37. This is pure speculation, and I am probably completely wrong. It just kinda popped into my head.

    If the “Tyrion is a Targaryen” theory is true, then maybe HE’s the one Varys is backing in the show, as opposed to fAegon. Varys has hinted that he believes Tyrion is destined for greatness…
    -He went to a lot of trouble to get him out of King’s Landing before he was killed.
    -“A very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
    -“Tyrion Lannister is one of the few people still alive who can make this country a better place. He has the mind for it, he has the will, he has the right last name

    Now, like I said, chances are I’m completely wrong. This literally just popped into my head, so I haven’t really given it much thought, and I’m sure that if I went back and rewatched the show again, I would find at least one scene that contradicts it. But it was just something I thought of, and thought I would share.

  38. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    I, too, loved the Dorne chapters. I did, however, like Arianne and am disappointed that she has been eliminated from the show. In fact, I am not really interested in what “appears” to be the Dorne story line in the show, particularly the

    Myrcella – Trystane young love plot.

    I found the Sand Snakes to be boring and one-dimensional. I am willing to give these characters the benefit of the doubt, especially

    if they are headed to KL to raise hell. I will reserve judgement, however, until they actually do something in this story.

    TheTouchOfFrost,

    I’m with you. I’m also rooting for Dany not to take the throne.

    The only thing that I like about Aegon’s storyline is the chaos that he will create for Dany. While she is hanging out in Meereen nibbling figs, her supposed nephew comes along and steals the throne away from her…at least temporarily. Since we seem to be without Aegon in the show, there has to be something or someone that will attempt to prevent her from taking the throne.
  39. Theres no way they are cutting YG without jumping head first into fan-fiction! It’s not like viewers are dumb enough to miss info from show Oberyn

    spoiler tags broken after edits btw…

  40. he does say Elia’s children are murdered and viewers are smart enough to know the implications of a pretender/real one not actually being dead.

    had to split post because spoiler tags brake after edits…..

  41. I am looking forward to the Dorne storyline this season. I got excited whenever one of their chapters came up in the books. I found those characters and their culture interesting.

    After seeing what Doran is really like, I look forward to seeing where the storyline goes in future books.
    I’m not familiar with Alexander Siddig (not a Star Trek fan). I did see Reign of Fire, but that was quite some time ago. Everyone seems to be happy about this casting though, so… cool.

    I thought the Sand Snakes were cool, so I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have that much to do in books 4 & 5, but I can tell they will have huge roles going forward, so I looks forward to that.
    The actresses they got for them are lovely. Hopefully they can act well. I feel the show has done an excellent job casting-wise so far though, so I’m not too worried.

    As for Arianne, I’m sad she seems to be cut… but not devastated. I can live with it. There is only so much that can be included in the show, and I would rather they focus the time on previously-established characters rather than add a bunch more new ones. And D&D do know more-or-less how the story will end, so I trust their judgement here.

    The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the romance between Myrcella and Trystane. I’m not usually one to pre-judge things, but this already sounds uninteresting. Hopefully they don’t spend too much time on it.

  42. I don’t quite get the (TV) Sand Snake hate. It’s too early.

    As for what we know: Sure, they haven’t done a whole lot thus far in the books and yes, they haven’t been particularly compelling in the books either. However, the fact that they’ve been cast and will be featured surely means they’ll have important parts to play down the road. Additionally, I’m sure D&D will have more for them to do than sit around being locked up all season.

    Dorne wasn’t my *favorite* plot line in Feast or Dance, but I’m still excited to see it realized on screen!

  43. Strider:
    Of the Night,

    That’s not entirely true. With good writing, it is possible to introduce characters who will be or become fan favorites even toward the end of a series.

    I’d still prefer if they keep the

    ironborn

    and

    Joncon and fAegon

    even if they have to delay their appearances.

    They may even opt to make the Ironborn a focus of season 6, if Euron is a vital player in the endgame.
  44. Skyofwelkup,

    I stand by what I said:

    I imagine it’s difficult to bring in a new cast mid-towards the end of the series (the whole Dorne contingent, Griffs, Greyjoy’s and north people: fArya, Manderley) all in one season and make the audience care for it to be invested in their story.

    I didn’t say impossible I said difficult, and I didn’t say bring them all (the Dance and Feast new book characters) gradually in season 6 or 7. Which is a different scenario than what I was contemplating.

    I was going on the idea that the producers are trying to condense both AffC and ADwD in one season. But sure, I would love to see all of them make the cut if they allow for storylines (such as the Ironborn or JonCon) to be rewritten or fitted in for seasons 6 & 7.

  45. Strider,

    I hope that’s what they’re doing. It’s hard to predict when we don’t know what will happen in the next two books.

  46. It’s possible that

    TV Trystane may represent the FAegon character, taking on the role’s actions. This Trystane-FAegon might invade Dragonstone, and suffer book Loras’s fate. If he dies, Obara will be legitimized as the heir, merging her with Arianne. I think the Ironborn drama will be the focus of Season 6, with Euron making the cut. Like some posters have speculated, TV Loras will instead be sent to deal with the Greyjoy invasion of the Reach.

    Regarding Daenerys, I don’t think she will sit the Iron Throne, or even set foot in King’s Landing. During Season 6 she’ll make the decision to head north with the dragons to fight the WW. Taking her HOTU vision into account, she’ll probably die, thus reuniting her with Drogo and Rhaego in the afterlife. In the end King’s Landing/the Iron Throne will be gone, thanks to Cersei’s actions. No more monarchy.

    OK, wild speculation done. I’ll show myself out.

  47. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I’m always left scratching my head at the suggestion of cutting YG to streamline the show into something more predictable.

    Now the suggestion in the forum about fAegon being Trystane is an interesting idea for streamlining the show while keeping Varys primary motivation intact. This eliminates JonCon and gives the secret protector role to Doran. Just like JonCon, Doran is convinced fAegon is really Aegon and we will need to find out how Varys deceived him. Doran would be in the same situation Ned is in, keeping the secret from everyone including Oberyn. This change eliminates much of the subplot in Dorne where Doran is playing his own game with Quentyn and Dany, then Arianne trying to decide if Young Griff is really Aegon and worthy of Dorne’s support. Dorne’s backing of Aegon is now built into the story. All that is left is to manufacture a way for the Golden Company and Trystane/fAegon to connect, then start attacking the Storm Lands.
    Varys will probably end up in Dany’s camp this season as many predict, he may even claim to support her, but by the end of the show he doesn’t. I fail to see the point of having Varys background a mystery and Oberyn picking up on the fact he is originally from Lys if he just ends up being a Targ supporter. Who cares about him being cut as a boy and hating sorcery if you eliminate the Blackfyre storyline. IMHO the connection between Varys and the Blackfyre’s gives a purpose to why these mysteries are being kept mysteries by Varys. There simply is no mystery for his secret background in supporting the Targ’s having previously worked for the Mad King. The only mystery in that situation is how he convinced King Robert to keep him on the small council and not cut his head off. All these other mysteries become trivial in terms the story.
  48. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Lion of Night,

    My point still stands.

    He seems to have big plans for Aegon too but it’s not looking good for him! Arianne and Victarion are POV characters so I’d argue are pretty important yet they are also looking like being gone along with Euron, Lady Stoneheart and numerous other smaller roles.

    I think at this point who GRRM deems important and who D&D deem important vary quite a lot.
    I don’t hate them just don’t understand why there’s so much fangasming over them when they are currently irrelevant. Unless people prefer stylisation over substance in their characters?

    mariamb,

    I don’t mind Aegon and think, like you, he makes teh show more interesting as with two Targs to rally to Dany’s inevitable march to the throne is made less obvious. Personally I wouldn’t mind if the show went for the Trystane = Young Griff storyline

    as the guys above were just saying as it streamlines it quite well and gives Dorne and the characters there more relevance ( which I think it needs) .

  49. jentario:
    Fjordgazer,

    A brothel guard wouldn’t need to do any sword fighting. He would just need… To stand guard! Speak a few lines. That’s all.

    That doesn’t change the notion that the “brothel guard” rumor and the “”sword-fighting” rumor (discredited by the actor in question) seem to have come from the same place:

    “Oh, he’s not really an actor per se, but a pro fencer. Someone said Tyrion? Let’s start the speculation! I say: Duck! No, he’s cut as hell. I say, a stone man. No, he’s too healthy looking, and do they even use swords? I say BROTHEL GUARD! Since he’s going to appear* in 5×05, it makes sense. Let’s call WotW fellas, we’ve got some juicy ‘news’ for them.”

    *Actually, 5×03. This part of the rumor was apparently all wrong.

    PS: before someone starts bitching about me being disrespectful, all’s i’m saying is: WotW’s “little birds” aren’t necessarily as effective as Varys’, and they’re probably all just like us: fans who love to speculate endlessly with the tiniest scattered pieces of information. The mouth-to-mouth makes info lose integrity every time it gets passed, as well.

  50. Spoiler here ######## ahh I swear I coverd it but not working

    I can’t see how will they convince us that prince Obreyn martell who came to the capital (instead of his brother) and got killed for the sake of someone which he thought dead for years , later appear that this someone was always in front of his eyes in dorne calling him uncle yet he(The red viper of dorne and the beloved brother of the ruling prince ) didn’t know that !’ Ok lets for a moment say this is whats going to happen , so Doran all his life claimed that this is(Trystane) a prince of dorne and his only child while planning that someday he will put him on the iron throne to be king , doran never thought of bringing another Heir to come after Trystane becames king ? No brother no sister ?
  51. Fjordgazer,

    It isn’t a rumor and it isn’t speculation. It came directly from WOTW’s sources, the same ones that give us constant updates on casting (which obviously are completely true). They are reliable.

    And WOTW never reported that the role would include sword fighting. They said that since the actor has a sword fighting background, it COULD have sword fighting. Now it’s apparent that it won’t, but that doesn’t really change the fact that he’s a brothel guard.

    Most likely, the episode number reported was a simple mistake. Since the rest of the info supplied in the same post was true (ie, the dates when he filmed and that he filmed with Tyrion and Varys).

  52. TheTouchOfFrost:
    Fjordgazer,

    Still going with my intial hope which I had when I saw the picture and Victarion although I fear that that ship has sailed!

    Yeah, looks-wise, the Dutchman would do a great Victarion.

    jentario,

    Look, if you want to believe that WotW’s sources are near-infallible (they surely get most of their updates just by being at the filming locations at the right time anyway), that’s up to you. If we’re choosing to believe actual first-hand information (the Dutchman) and do some inference from his words, it all points toward the “rumors spread like a bad disease” (his words) by some Dutch reporters being the same ones that labeled his role as “brothel guard” (officially, his role is still a secret; again, his words).

    Anyhow, only time will tell. It’s not like we’re getting badges for proving WotW right or wrong.

  53. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Yeah, looks-wise, the Dutchman would do a great Victarion.

    jentario,

    Look, if you want to believe that WotW’s sources are near-infallible (they surely get most of their updates just by being at the filming locations at the right time anyway), that’s up to you. If we’re choosing to believe actual first-hand information (the Dutchman) and do some inference from his words, it all points toward the “rumors spread like a bad disease” (his words) by some Dutch reporters being the same ones that labeled his role as “brothel guard” (officially, his role is still a secret; again, his words).

    Anyhow, only time will tell. It’s not like we’re getting badges for proving WotW right or wrong.

  54. Lady Nym,

    In order for fAegon to be Trystane, there would need to be a real heir of Dorne for his identity to be switched. Otherwise Dorne magically has a legitimate child where none before existed. So for this idea to even work, the true heir of Dorne thinks he is someone, or is somewhere else in secret. Maybe off with his mother somewhere else. Sort of like hiding valuables in a safe that looks like a box of salt in cabinet. You know where the real salt is hiding, but a thief isn’t going to go looking into the box to find the jewels. Essentially the real Trystane can be held off until next season, or maybe revealed through Doran talking to Hotah after Trystane is revealed to be Aegon.
    You do make an interesting point about Oberyn, but that is easily remedied as the show hasn’t presented what Doran planned Oberyn to do verses what Oberyn actually did. The justice the Martell’s sought wasn’t just for Aegon, but for Elia and Rhaenys as well. The show could have Oberyn knowing all along, but had to keep up the pretense that Aegon was killed to keep the secret safe. However, given the fearless “do as I please” attitude of Oberyn, I’m not sure Doran would have trusted him to keep the secret. While it is awesome and badass to walk up to Tywin Lannister declaring you blame him for your sister’s murder and are here to seek justice…you don’t trust him with keeping a big secret. But this really depends on the dynamic of the relationship between Oberyn and Doran on how much Oberyn knew. The writers have plenty of options to go with whatever works best for the show.
    Personally I’d rather have Young Griff and Jon Connington, but this alternative could work. The problem with simply cutting fAegon is how transparent Varys end game becomes given the scene in season 1 with Varys and Illyrio talking about Viserys and Dany. That would be like showing a conversation between Littlefinger and Lysa in season 1 hinting they are up to something. There would be no shock in season 4 that Lysa and Littlefinger were the catalyst for the war starting with the lie about the Lannister’s killing her husband.
  55. Fjordgazer,

    As a matter of fact WotW sources are “near-infallible”. They have been cultivated for years. Can they be wrong regardless from time to time? Sure, and maybe that’s the case now, but reliable sources are exactly what makes this site unique to others.

  56. Balerion The Cat,

    Thanks for the link. Could the day 8 entry be concerning a former Gold Cloak Commander? Look forward to more Snow sword fighting scenes. What does 3…8…9 mean, must surely be a code for something or have some meaning.

  57. fuelpagan,

    I believe RV always knew …….about YG/Aegon. Trystane as Aegon is a total kluge. If true, I’ll watch it unfold onscreen with much disdain. Grrrr.
  58. Fjordgazer,

    The interview came out after WOTW’s report, though. WOTW didn’t base their information on it, just on information from their sources. And IIRC, they were filming a brothel scene with that Clea character and Tyrion around the same time as this guy was filming.

  59. Damn_Ley,

    Nice find! The fighting location puzzles me, though. I imagined it would be in the deserty location that they’re filming at.

  60. Damn_Ley,

    Great, I can’t wait for Jaime to get his ass kicked again and embarassed by a strong independent womyn…

    Really tired of this feminist drivel D&D keep forcing into the show.

  61. Hermann,

    Gwendoline Christie is taller than Nikolaj and for all we know, weighs more than him. Her being able to best him isn’t absurd. To paraphrase the Riverlands farmer they ran into in ep. 302 “I wouldn’t [want to] tangle with [her]” myself either.

    Keisha Castle-Hughes is much smaller but if she’s fighting him as Oberyn did the Mountain with the same evasive spear style, she stands a chance. Their difference in height and weight isn’t likely as large as that between Pedro Pascal and Halfthor Bjornsson after all.

    So in short, given all of this and that Jaime’s fighting without a hand it isn’t too absurd that she’d stand a chance and it really isn’t forced feminism either.

  62. Hermann,

    Greenjones,

    Jaime wasn’t in great physical shape when fighting Brienne anyway – he’d been a prisoner for almost a year. Now without his sword hand he has a major physical disadvantage, again.

    Hopefully Jaime picked up a few dirty-fighting tricks from Bronn that he might do better (even if not win) in this one against Obara.

  63. Damn_Ley,

    Kudos! Awesome find, 3 Snakes in a garden. Who was that near the end? Appears to be Cersei’s right hand lover boy.

    I can foresee security walking the perimeter now, looking for gaps and holes (man made?) in the privacy screen.

  64. Greenjones,

    I don’t take issue with Brienne beating Jaime, but in the book the fight was extremely close despite Jaime being bound in manacles, malnourished, out of shape after being a prisoner, etc…

    But in the show she beats him easily. She also beat Sandor, which was extremely unrealistic. In show canon, Brienne is basically the best fighter in Westeros which is just absurd.

    As with Obara, I am aware that she would beat a left handed Jaime easily. But here’s the thing, it obviously didn’t happen in the books and they don’t need to add it to the show, but they’re doing it anyway. I hate how D&D turned all 3 Sand Snakes into stereotypical “badass” woman fighters. “LOOK AT US WE ARE WOMEN BUT WE CAN FIGHT JUST AS WELL AS MEN LOOK AT US”

    It really seems like some feminist agenda to me.

  65. “feminist agenda”……

    Obara and Nymeria were both already fighters and Tyene liked to use poisons, who cares that they decided to hand her a weapon as well? That doesn’t make it a feminist agenda.

  66. Hermann,

    And so what if Brienne is the best fighter in the show? Why is that so bad? Because she’s a woman?

    Boom.

    Now let’s set up some ground rules:
    -no biting
    -anything below the belt is forbidden, let’s leave our foo foos and dongs out of this

  67. Morgan,

    GOT’s casting director described the Sand Snakes as a three headed Hydra that’s going to fuck your shit up. I kind of like that (even though I was never a Sand Snake fan).

  68. jentario,

    Because Brienne is nowhere near the best fighter in the books, the source material which this show is based on?

    It’s funny how you insinuate that I’m a misogynist by implying that the only reason I take offense with Brienne’s fighting ability in show is because she’s a woman.

  69. Abyss,

    Let’s propose a renaming of the site then: Greenseers off the Wall. Or, a Thousand Eyes and One.

    jentario:
    Fjordgazer,

    The interview came out after WOTW’s report, though. WOTW didn’t base their information on it, just on information from their sources. And IIRC, they were filming a brothel scene with that Clea character and Tyrion around the same time as this guy was filming.

    Their words against Mishael’s then. Still sounds like mouth-to-mouth whispering, and we all know how info can get muddied that way. Is there any other way to get info out of those sets anyway? Crew members are supposed to keep their mouths shut to keep their jobs.

  70. Brienne beat the Hound because he was wounded. Arya even commented on how the wound was slowing him down.

    Hell, if the cliff hadn’t been there, he may still have won.

  71. Hermann,

    No were in the show is it stated that Brienne is the best fighter in the show. Yes, she won against the Hound. So what? Both of them are very good fighters in the books and the show. Fighting isn’t a numbers game. As if it would matter if someone has the slightly better stats on paper.

  72. Abyss,

    Let’s propose a renaming of the site then: Greenseers off the Wall. Or, a Thousand Eyes and One.

    jentario:

    Their words against Mishael’s then. Still sounds like mouth-to-mouth whispering, and we all know how info can get muddied that way. Is there any other way to get info out of those sets anyway? Crew members are supposed to keep their mouths shut to keep their jobs.

    As for Jaime fighting Obara. Well, he’s a cripple now (am i allowed to use that word?)…
    She’s going to kick his ass.

    The only woman weak enough to be totally possessed by an unarmed, one-handed Jaime is, you guessed it, Cersei. Case in point, her “rape” in S04E03.

  73. jentario,

    So I’m sexist for wanting Brienne’s fighting abilities to be in line with the books? Alright, then you might as well be a misandrist for wanting her to be better than every male.

    Abyss,

    Of course it hasn’t been stated that she’s the best fighter, but whose left to challenge that title really? She already beat Loras, Jaime and Sandor. Oberyn is dead, Garlan doesn’t exist in the show. Victarion is likely cut. Barristan’s actor is quite fat and out of shape and hasn’t even worn armor since Season 1 so I’m not to hopeful that we will ever see him with sword in hand.

  74. Hermann,

    No, you’re sexist for saying she isn’t a good enough cook (which is by the way absurd! she knew exactly what she was doing when Podrick messed up the rabbit and now she even has Hot Pie training).

  75. Fjordgazer,

    It was on his very same Facebook page that I got the information (from a comment HE made himself) that he was unsure at the present time whether or not his role would involve swordfighting (this was a day or two before he even began filming).

    We never falsely confirmed anything of the sort. Calm down, we’re all friends here.

    EDIT: Just to add to this – the reason I didn’t link to the Facebook page in the casting announcement post was to respect the guy’s privacy. I don’t want to be responsible for people potentially hounding someone’s personal page and annoying them. Obviously this is null and void now, but at the time it wasn’t.

  76. Cian:
    Fjordgazer,

    It was on his very same Facebook page that I got the information (from a comment HE made himself) that he was unsure at the present time whether or not his role would involve swordfighting (this was a day or two before he even began filming).

    We never falsely confirmed anything of the sort. Calm down, we’re all friends here.

    Let me see if i understood. You said you never confirmed the swordfighting, or the brothel guard role? I just don’t find any mention of the latter on his FB wall.

    If you say he told you via PM, i’ll have to trust you and shut up at last 🙂

    PS: his FB page was extremely easy to find though, with his full name in the url. He’s sort of a local figure in his town anyway…

  77. Hermann,

    Well, I don’t know…

    Areo Hotah?

    Jaqen H’ghar? Some random sellsword? Point is I don’t give a damn who is the highest in some strange ranking list. If the champion would never been beaten by someone under him/her we could end any sort of competition after the first season of tournaments.

  78. Fjordgazer,

    I don’t know where this whole “swordfighting” thing is even coming from. All the original post said was that “It is unknown at this time whether or not his fencing skills will come into play.” Because, you know… he’s an intimidating-looking fencing teacher with pre-possessed skills who happens to have been cast in a sword-heavy show, and who also expressed a personal interest in using a sword in said show.

    Evidently, we now know that his skills won’t come into play. The brothel guard part didn’t come from his Facebook, but we didn’t make it up either.

  79. Cian,

    Well, you know your sources better than we do, so i won’t bother you with that anymore. I still wouldn’t put it on his IMDB page, in case your little birds did make a mistake or were passed wrong info.

  80. Fjordgazer,

    How long have been with this community? Because I have been here for a long time and I think I could use my ten fingers to count the times when this site has given out false information. – Anyway… I’m not trying to start something here. 🙂

  81. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Yeah I don’t get the fangasming *or* the hate; they’re both products of overzealous speculation in my mind. I think it’s just too early to really say much. POV-ness is a quality definitely worth considering, but if Arianne doesn’t have much to do in the rest of aSoIaF, why not let a Sand Snake absorb her role? But again, I’m breaking my own speculation rule haha. Too early for me to judge. This will be such a better conversation mid season.

    Hermann,

    Yeah, and I hate when people use the past tense to discuss things that haven’t happened yet as well as read between lines that don’t exist. We all have our own ideal visions of how characters should and should not be portrayed, but it’s useless to get upset before we find out for sure in April…

  82. Cian:

    I didn’t imply that any of you did. But someone else certainly did so, most likely in accordance to the info you presented.

    Abyss,

    Well, i’m sure Bloodraven made a mistake or two as well (his eyeball being gouged out, he certainly didn’t see that coming), so my proposition still stands!

    EDIT: there’s something weird in the comments. When i post one, it gets stuck in moderation, but when i post a second one right after, it shows with no trouble. What could it be?

  83. Hermann,

    Must say I agree with you. Jaime is without doubt one of the best fighters in the whole ASoIaF mythology but the show has criminally underplayed that. The fight against Brienne was nowhere near as close as it should have been and if he loses to one of the Sand Snakes the viewer is left with the opinion that he’s just not very good which couldn’t be further from the truth (really diminshes the whole loss of his hand and why it was such a big deal). I expect Bronn to lose too because D&D do seem to like build female character with them beating established male ones. Wish they’d actually give Brienne some character development instead of turning her into Wonder Women (she is an above average fighter but the show has massively scaled up her ability). Best I’m hoping for is they fight to a standstill, but I get the feeling two of my favourite characters are going to have to put over the new girls who’s books counterparts I already dislike. Have a feeling I’m not going to like their show versions much more!

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