jon snow not dead in season six (Game of thrones)

Fans are keeping a close eye on Kit Harington, while leak of audition tape hints at future for Daenerys

Filming for Game of Thrones season six is now fully underway, but producers are struggling to plug the leaks. Fans have been keeping a close eye on the cast and crew, as well as the costumes and scenery, in Northern Ireland, Spain and now Croatia.

Here's what they have deduced:

Cersei back in Croatia

Despite HBO saying that Game of Thrones

would not be returning to Croatia to film, cast and crew have been spotted in Dubrovnik. Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija has published photographs of Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey, with her new cropped haircut. She was spotted in the same location that her daughter Princess Myrcella Baratheon, played by Nell Tiger Free, was seen being shipped off to Dorne in season five. Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane, played by the Icelandic professional strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, was seen by Cersei's side. "With her new crop top and a sullen look on her face, fans can't wait to see if Cersei will now have a new attitude to go with her new look following her walk of shame in season five's shocking 'Mother's Mercy' finale," says WhatCulture.

Jon Snow is back

Kit Harington has been spotted (with his signature Jon Snow man bun) speaking to crew on a snowy field in Northern Ireland, suggesting the character must be back from the dead. Watchers on the Wall, which has long claimed Harington is involved in a major Game of Thrones battle sequence, says he appeared to be wearing Stark-style clothing rather than his usual Night's Watch black attire.

Tower of Joy filming begins

Game of Thrones is due to film at the Castillo de Zafra in Campillo de Dueñas in Spain for the next three days. The 13th-century fortress is believed to represent the Tower of Joy, which could feature in a flashback to Jon Snow's childhood. Some fans speculate it might also be used to portray a scene in which Jon Snow's real lineage is revealed. The castle's owner has apparently given the crew permission to film inside and outside the castle, but he has not been given details of the shoot.

Sean Bean on set?

One spoiler-hungry fan took his Game of Thrones obsession to new extremes, by hiking three miles through the Spanish hills to film a scene outside the Castillo de Zafra in Campillo. In footage posted on Facebook, the UK fan explains "Have to crawl… you'll see why in a sec" before pointing his camera towards a battle scene. He claims one of the actors is Sean Bean, goading him on: "Go on Beany! Go on Beany! Slayed him!"

Sebastian Croft, a 13-year-old English actor, was reportedly cast as a young version of Bean's character Ned Stark in a flashback. Casting breakdowns suggested Croft would be sparring with an older child in a scene. "While Ned's death was as definitive as it gets, speculation has never ceased that he may be brought back in some form in the HBO series," says movie site HeyUGuys. At the premiere of The Martian, Bean told the movie site he was not making a return, pointing out: "I got me head chopped off in the first series." But the actor was not entirely convincing and fans have learned not to trust everything they are told by the Game of Thrones cast and crew.

An epic battle

A long shooting period is taking place in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, where Game of Thrones has been filming a huge fighting sequence between the Boltons and the wildlings. Sources have told Watchers on the Wall that "several armies are involved with this epic battle", leaving the website to conclude that it "may outdo anything we've ever seen on Game of Thrones".

Daenerys's role in the Great War

Grainy images leaked online over the summer appeared to show some of the first scenes being filmed in Northern Ireland. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, was supposed to be filming in Northern Ireland at the time, but there was no blonde hair visible in the photographs. The images were believed to be from Binevenagh mountain, where scenes of the Vale were filmed for season five.

Reports also emerged of a leaked audition tape, showing British actress Tehmina Sunny playing a new red priestess character called Kinvara. The script she was reading gave some hints about what fans might be able to expect from chief Iron Throne contender Daenerys Targaryen in the next series.

Speaking to Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage, Kinvara says: "Her dragons are fire made flesh. A gift from the Lord of Light. But you've heard all of this before, haven't you? On the Long Bridge of Volantis? The dragons purify non-believers by the thousands, burning their sins and flesh away... I will summon mummers and appoint priests. They will spread the word. Daenerys has been sent to lead the people against the darkness ... for this war, and the Great War yet to come."

Return of Shae

"Game Of Thrones bosses seem like they may be regretting killing off so many characters last series," says the Daily Mirror. After the Jon Snow on-set sightings, a fan has reported seeing Sibel Kekilli, the German actress who plays Tyrion Lannister's traitorous lover Shae. Kekilli was photographed alongside Conleth Hill, who plays Lord Varys, and writer David Benioff in the Spanish town of Peniscola, where scenes set in Meereen are filmed. Shae was last seen when Tyrion appeared to strangle her to death – but did she really die?

Game of Thrones: is this how the story will end?

9 October

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have already said they know how George RR Martin, author of the sci-fi novels the show is based on, plans to end his story – but now one of the cast has his own theory.

Finn Jones, who plays Loras Tyrell in the HBO fantasy series, believes there will be a "huge battle between ice and fire", which will destroy both sides and the whole of Westeros in a "great war".

Speaking at New York Comic Con on Thursday, he predicted that the Iron Throne would also be dissolved for its spell-forged steel. "By 'ice and fire', we assume he meant the White Walkers versus dragons – the two fantasy elements of the show," says Tech Insider.

The site adds that Jones's theory about the Iron Throne is "quite clever" as the impressive seat is made from 1,000 Valyrian swords, which belonged of the original king's enemies and could be used to kill the White Walkers.

After "a lot of people have died", said Jones, out of the ashes will come "tree people" – which Tech Insider takes to mean the Children of the Forest.

Jones also suggested that Bran Stark, Hodor, Brienne of Tarth and Tyrion Lannister might survive as the "good guys that want to give peace back to the realm".

Earlier this year, Benioff said they were already "barrelling" towards the end of Game of Thrones and were unlikely to stretch out the series any longer than necessary.

"The idea that we're going to try and stretch it out by an extra couple years just because we're all having a good time doing it and people are making money off it just feels like it would be a betrayal," he said.

Benioff also added that Martin does not have the finer details planned out and that just because he has discussed the ending, it does not mean that will be exactly what happens when he eventually writes it.

Game of Thrones: 13 things to expect from season six

23 September

Game of Thrones fans were left in mourning after season five came to an end – but the grief has swiftly turned into excitement over season six. Filming for the new series is already underway with locations including Spain and Belfast. The Game of Thrones panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con remained tight-lipped about the major plot lines, but rumours and leaks continue to circulate on the internet. Here are twelve predictions for the next series, expected to be released next April:

1. No more Jon Snow… for now

Have we seen the last of our hero? Despite Jon Snow's apparent death at the end of season five, many fans and commentators rushed to the internet to declare him live and kicking. The actor Kit Harington, who plays Snow, and the show's producers have insisted "dead is dead" and that the character won't be returning in season six. Maisie Williams, who plays Arya, has also said: "We saw him get stabbed a lot, I think it's pretty clear he's dead."

However, Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys, reckons there is a "50/50 chance" of Snow returning, and Carice Van Houten, who plays Melisandre, has been even more positive. "No, he can't be dead. No!" she told The Sun at London Film and Comic Con. A popular theory is that Melisandre might be able to bring him back to life, with fans saying that they would be willing to forgive her for burning Shireen alive if she brings back Snow. Others have suggested that Snow's ability to possess animals as a skinchanger means he could live on inside his direwolf Ghost.

Even Barack Obama is desperate to know about Snow's fate, reports The Guardian. Director David Nutter told Comic Con what happened when he recently met the US President. Describing Obama as "the number-one Game Of Thrones fan in the world", Nutter said: "He shook my hand, and he put his other hand on my shoulder and he said, 'You didn't kill Jon Snow did you?' and I said, 'Mr President, Jon Snow is deader than dead'."

2. Bran Stark to return

Jon Snow fans can take comfort from the fact that characters have been known to take whole seasons off and still make a return, as Bran Stark is poised to do in season six. The fledgling warg was not seen for the whole of season five but, according to Entertainment Weekly, Stark was busy "receiving training from the Three-Eyed Raven and the Children of the Forest off-screen".

British actor Isaac Hempstead Wright has confirmed that he will return as Bran Stark, telling the Irish Examiner: "I can't say a lot but I am back this season, and it's going to get particularly interesting with Bran. He has some interesting visions." The 16-year-old actor admitted that he has yet to actually watch season five as he has been concentrating on his school exams. Stark's return has been compared with Luke Skywalker's reappearance as a Jedi in Star Wars.

3. New Lost and X-Files directors

According to Time magazine, five directors will be involved in the new series, each handling two episodes. Three of the directors – Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod and Miguel Sapochnik – are Thrones veterans, but there are also two newcomers. Daniel Sackheim, who has previously worked on Miami Vice, The X-Files and House, will be directing episodes three and four, while Jack Bender, best known for directing 38 episodes of Lost, will be at the helm for Game of Thrones episodes five and six. The decision to put Sapochnik in charge of the final two episodes might also suggest "we're in for another epic battle climax", says Time, as it was Sapochnik who directed the Hardhome episode in season five, featuring a long battle sequence with Jon Snow, the Wildlings and the White Walkers' army of zombies.

4. Old plots could resurface

The end of season five was terminal in more ways than one, as the TV series more or less caught up with the books it is based on. George RR Martin's most recent book A Dance with Dragons was released in 2011 and season five incorporated many of its plot strands.

Martin now appears to be dedicating his time to writing the next book, The Winds of Winter, but it is not guaranteed to be finished in time for the new series. As Martin has been consulting the show's creators, Dan Weiss and David Benioff, while writing, Andrew Prokop at Vox worries that the airing of season six before the release of the book will "spoil huge chunks of it" for readers. Weiss and Benioff have also hinted that they might return to characters and storylines previously ignored in Martin's books. "Sometimes we're going in a different order or telling a different story," Benioff told Entertainment Weekly.

5. There will be blood

Although Snow's story may have come to end, there are plenty of other characters in the saga for who the future remains uncertain. Cersei survived her imprisonment and may have to enlist the help of Qyburn once more in the battle to ensure the Red Keep remains under her family's control, while Qyburn has taken on perhaps the most gruesome character of all, Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane, as his own personal warrior. As Jeremy Egner writes in the New York Times, this means "blood will flow".

6. 'Very spectacular' fight scenes

Casting calls for Game of Thrones have not only given fans an insight into the new characters they can expect, but also the new scenes. One casting document, leaked this summer, called for "the best swordsman in Europe" to play the role of a "legendary fighter" in "very spectacular fight scenes". Another similar casting call, possibly for the same role, advertised for someone who "looks heroic and like a fierce and efficient experienced fighter" to appear in a "massive and memorable" fight scene. "The flamboyant aspects of the fighting will be taken over by a stunt fighter but we need someone who looks like they can take care of themselves," it said. Watchers on the Wall suggests the character could be Ser Arthur Dayne. In Martin's books, Dayne dies following a fight at the Tower of Joy, which looks set to feature in the sixth series. In another hint for scenes to come, Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams has been seen filming a scene in which she is neck-high in freezing cold water in a harbour in Carnlough, Northern Ireland. Stark, who was rendered blind in the last series, is heard wailing off into the distance from the water.

7. Pirate among new faces

A casting call for season six has revealed that the next series could feature a pirate, described as "cunning, ruthless, with a touch of madness". Joanna Robinson in Vanity Fair says the pirate is "definitely everyone's favourite eye-patch-wearing uncle, Euron Greyjoy, aka Crow's Eye" from the books. According to Robinson, other near certainties for new characters include more Dothraki and members of a theatre troupe that Arya becomes a part of during her quest as an assassin.

Young British actor Sam Coleman has been given a role in the upcoming series, according to his Spotlight CV. The 18-year-old recently filmed his feature debut in Leatherface, a prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which co-stars Finn Jones, aka Loras Tyrell in Game of Thrones.

8. 'Worlds are coming together'

Jeremy Podeswa, who directed season five's controversial Sansa Stark rape scene, is back for season six and has hinted that it won't be a slow-burner. Podeswa, who is taking charge of filming for episodes one and two, told Deadline: "One thing I can say about the first two episodes of the season is that there's not a lot of laying pipe or laying track. We just get right into the story and it's very propulsive narratively – the whole season is – and it's heading towards a destination that is very exciting."

Podeswa said that every character has got an "amazing" storyline this year and indicated that there would be some exciting plot cross-overs. "I think the way the characters converge is something that started last season, where characters who have never met before were suddenly meeting, and the worlds are coming together, and the world is getting a little smaller in a way," he said. "That happens more and more this season. That becomes very exciting."

9. Bigger dragons

One thing is for certain: there will be dragons in season six and big ones at that. Daenerys' babies, gifted at her wedding, were seen briefly in season five, but the man behind the visual effects for Game of Thrones, Joe Bauer, told Yahoo: "For season six the dragons will again be double in size, spanning 120ft from wingtip to wingtip."

Cinemablend says there will "definitely be some challenges in continuing to show bigger and badder dragons, capable of all different types of mass destruction". Without any real dragons to base their models on, the team initially played with a chicken to feel how the muscles might work and where the "bones" should go. "When the dragons were small, we had little foam rubber models of each dragon and we could carry them on and off of the set and it was no big deal," says Bauer. "Last year, the best we could do was a head and this year it's going to be a finger nail or something, I'm not really sure."

10. Are Tyrion and Jon part Targaryen?

One theory is that Tyrion Lannister may also be a Targaryen. The Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, Daenerys's father, was particularly fond of Tyrion's mother, Joanna Lannister, and in the book, A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys is told that her father "took liberties" during the bedding ritual at Joanna's wedding to Tyrion's father Tywin.
When Tyrion shoots his father at the end of season four, Tywin utters: "You are no son of mine." Many fans – and iDigitalTimes – believe this might be more than a dying retort and that Jon and Tyrion are the other two dragon riders needed to reclaim the Iron Throne with Daenerys, according to a vision she had in season three.
Another theory is that Jon Snow is not Ned Stark's illegitimate son, but rather the son of Ned's sister Lyanna and Daenerys's older brother, Rhaegar. On her deathbed in the Tower of Joy, a single tower located in the Red Mountains of Dorne, Lyanna asks Ned to promise her something – fans speculate that this could be a request to bring up her boy as his own.
One of the new locations for Game of Thrones season six is the Castillo de Zafra, a 13th century fortress located in Guadalajara province, Spain. Many fans believe this might be used as the Tower of Joy for a flashback to Snow's childhood. And if the show is about to retell the origins of Snow, there's "absolutely no way he's dead", says Geek.com.

Jon and Tyrion's possible Targaryen connections are consistent with a theory that they are the other two dragon riders needed to reclaim the Iron Throne with Daenerys according to a vision she had in season three. During the vision, Daenerys walks through three areas: a Dothraki tent (representing her), the Wall (possibly representing Jon) and the throne room in King's Landing (possibly referencing Tyrion's service as Hand to King Joffrey).Another potential tie that fans point to is the Westerosi legend that "a dragon must be born of blood". Daenerys, Jon and Tyrion all killed their mothers in childbirth.After Daenerys emerged unscathed from her husband's funeral pyre, some fans hope Jon might have a chance of resurrection during his own cremation if he really is a Targaryen with a mystical connection to fire.

11. Will Arya be permanently blind?

Aside from Jon Snow's demise, one of season five's most shocking plot lines was the psychotic and brutal traits Maisie Williams' character Arya showed in her killing of Meryn Trant. In the season five finale, Arya's unusual punishment for killing Trant, rather than Thin Man, was the loss of her sight in a rather unnerving fashion. In an interview with HBO, Williams said the chilling effect was achieved by placing 16mm-wide contact lenses in her eyes. "I hope that her sight comes back, but if not, I think she should become a real badass assassin without sight," she said.
Another cliff-hanger involves Arya's sister Sansa Stark (played by Sophie Turner), who was leaping off the high wall of Winterfell with Theon (Alfie Allen) at the end of season five. HollywoodTake predicts that the pair will finally bond after their "tense" relationship during season five. But where will they go and will Sansa be able to escape from her abusive husband Ramsay?

12. Young Ned Stark?

Casting calls for two young boys with dark hair and Northern accents for series six quickly caught the sharp eyes of hardcore fans. On the fan site Watchers on the Wall, there was immediate speculation that the two youngsters will be playing younger versions of Ned Stark and his brother, Benjen. English actor Sebastian Croft is set to play the older boy, who is described as having brown hair and blue eyes, much like Sean Bean, who played the adult Ned until being killed off at the end of the first series.
After a little further investigation, the site revealed that "reliable sources" had revealed to them that 13 year-old Croft will indeed be playing a young Ned Stark, in a scene which will see him and his brother sparring with wooden swords.
Showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff once ruled out using flashbacks to flesh out characters' backstories, but they relaxed their rule last series with a scene involving a young Cersei. So it's not unthinkable that they would consider using the device again.

13. Red priestess Kinvara to make an appearance

Another character revealed in the casting calls for season six is a "beautiful, intense and magnetic" young priestess – and a recent leaked audition clip has given more details about the role. The clip shows British actress Tehmina Sunny reading for the part of Kinvara, a red priestess who visits Tyrion and Varys to offer help in ruling Meereen following the departure of Daenerys, who was last seen flying away on her dragon in season five. The audition script, first published on io9.com, hints that it may be some time before Daenerys returns, as Kinarva says she has been "sent to lead the people against the darkness… for this war, and the Great War yet to come". The addition of a new red priestess suggests that season six might also focus more on the Lord of Light R'hllor, the deity worshipped by red priests and priestesses, as well as the religious differences between those in Westeros and those in the Free Cities.

Game of Thrones: has Kit Harington revealed Jon Snow's fate?

22 September 2015
Spare a thought for actor Kit Harington, whose every move, utterance and hair appointment is scrutinised by millions of devoted Game of Thrones enthusiasts determined to uncover the proof that his character, Jon Snow, will rise from the grave in season six next year.
The most recent "evidence" that the character may return comes from an interview Harington gave to Belgian magazine Humo while promoting his new film, Testament of Youth. The 28-year-old appeared to indicate that his contractual ties to Game of Thrones may continue to have an impact on his nascent film career into his thirties.
"I had to pass on amazing parts because I was attached to Game of Thrones. So the show is like a double-edged sword to me: I owe a lot to it, but at the same time it almost completely consumes me," Harington said.
Then, tellingly perhaps, he added: "Let's just say that Game of Thrones will remain a part of my life for a while; I'll probably be in my thirties when it's over. One thing's for sure: the day I'm no longer on 'Thrones' is the day I'll bury myself in movie projects."
Vox speculates that on the one hand "remaining bound to a contract doesn't necessarily mean that his character is going to rise from the dead," but on the other, "he gave the interview to a Belgian magazine, so maybe he thought this one was going to slip under the radar."
Or perhaps Harington might simply "be done trying to keep Jon Snow's fate a secret", the site suggests.
All will be revealed when Games of Thrones's sixth season gets underway.

Game of Thrones: will The Winds of Winter be out by April?

17 September

It's the news Game of Thrones fans have been waiting four years to hear. A release date for the penultimate novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series, on which the TV show is based, is finally on the horizon. And of all places, the scoop came from a Spanish radio interview with an editor at the publishing house which owns the Spanish rights to the series.

Alejo Cuervo, who is a friend of George RR Martin's, assured the radio host that The Winds of Winter would be published within the next year, "unless a meteorite falls".

"It's planned for next year," Cuervo said. "They have promised us that they will give us the manuscript before the release date in English, but it won’t be a big difference [between the dates]."

This suggests that the book may be on the shelves before Games of Thrones's sixth season begins next April.

Martin has become somewhat notorious for pushing back publishing deadlines. Fans of the Song of Ice and Fire series endured an agonising five-year wait between publication of the third and fourth novels, followed by another six years until the fifth instalment appeared in 2011.

Since the show began airing in 2011, it has been increasingly obvious that the pace of the television series would eventually outstrip Martin's ability to churn out additional tomes. In the last season, the series finally caught up with the published novels.

In an interview with Mashable in 2013, Martin readily acknowledged that he needs to "write faster", but he also railed against the legions of fans pestering him online for a new instalment. Especially irksome are those who have expressed concern that Martin, who is 66 and visibly overweight, may die before he completes the seventh and final novel in the series, tentatively titled A Dream of Spring. "I find that question pretty offensive, people speculating about my death and my health," Martin told the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger. "So f*** you to those people."

Game of Thrones: can you pass the Jon Snow maternity test?

8 September

SPOILER WARNING: this article contains plot spoilers for Game of Thrones season five

Many Game of Thrones fans believe the clue to whether Jon Snow will return in season six may lie in the identity of his mother.

Showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have said that it was this very mystery they were required to solve before author George RR Martin would allow them to turn his books into the television series.

Benioff and Weiss told ABC's The Writer's Room that Martin posed the question after they had spent five hours pitching their ideas.

"At the very end of it, [Martin] said 'So who is Jon Snow's real mother?' It was a test question," said Benioff. Luckily, the pair had been studying the books in detail and their "educated guess" proved to be correct.

However, fans are yet to discover the answer.

One popular theory is that Jon Snow is not Ned Stark's illegitimate son, but rather the son of Ned's sister Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. On her deathbed in the Tower of Joy, Lyanna asks Ned to promise her something – fans speculate that this could be a request to bring up her boy as his own.

The theory – summarised online as R+L=J – would make Snow a Targaryen, nephew to Daenerys Targaryen.

After Daenerys emerged unscathed from her husband's funeral pyre, some fans hope Snow might have a chance of resurrection during his own cremation if he really is a Targaryen with a mystical connection to fire.

In a poll of nearly 10,000 people by the Sydney Morning Herald last year, nearly half believed Lyanna would be revealed as Snow's mother. Others thought it might be Cersei Lannister, who spoke of giving birth to a "black-haired boy"; Lady Ashara Dayne, who killed herself after Ned Stark married Catelyn Tully; or Elia Martell, Rhaegar Targaryen's wife.