Season 6

Season 6 of Game of Thrones was formally commissioned by HBO on 8 April 2014, following a substantial increase in audience figures between the third and fourth seasons. The fifth and sixth seasons were commissioned simultaneously, the first time HBO has done so for a major drama series.

The season consists of ten episodes. It began filming in July 2015 and will conclude late into the year. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss return as executive producers and showrunners for both seasons five and six, having signed a new two-year contract with HBO in early 2014.

The season is expected to premiere in Spring 2016.

Season 6 will be based on the hitherto unreleased sixth novel of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, The Winds of Winter, along with a significant amount of leftover material from the fourth and fifth books, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, which run concurrently but follow different sets of characters.

Plot




Adaptation
While prior seasons followed a format of adapting roughly one book's worth of material per year (or one large book across two seasons, in the case of Season 3 and most of Season 4), Season 5 condensed together most of the fourth and fifth novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, resulting in most major storylines catching up with the end of the fifth and most recent novel, in particular Jon Snow and the Night's Watch; Daenerys Targaryen and Meereen, including Tyrion Lannister; Cersei Lannister (yet not the rest of King's Landing characters, such as Margaery Tyrell after her imprisonment and Kevan Lannister after Cersei's walk of atonement); Petyr Baelish and the Vale; Sansa Stark, whose storyline was merged with Jeyne Poole's, the one forced to marry Ramsay; Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre; Davos Seaworth, who was involved in another subplot in the North which was cut or delayed; Roose Bolton and Ramsay Bolton; Bran Stark, Hodor, and Meera Reed, who already almost caught up at the end of the fourth season; and Theon Greyjoy. However, other characters did not yet catch up: Arya Stark has two more published chapters after going blind at the end of the fourth book (though parts of the first chapter from the sixth novel were featured in Season 5, in which she killed Meryn Trant instead of Raff); and, while most of the original story in Sam and Gilly's voyage was already adapted in the fifth season before they even left Castle Black (including their growing relationship, learning of Daenerys ruling in Slaver's Bay, and Aemon's death), their journey throughout the fourth book also included a brief stay in Braavos, and by the end they arrived in Oldtown and met the maesters at the Citadel.

Although most of the storylines from the fourth and fifth books were included in Season 5 in some form and to some extent, there was simply too much material to fit it all in one season, so several subplots were omitted entirely from it. While House Martell and Dorne's substantive plot was technically included, it was drastically condensed, omitting most of its characters and their machinations (to the point that Doran Martell only appeared briefly), and sending in a main character —Jaime Lannister— as the new lead of the subplot, instead of Doran's daughter and heir Arianne Martell, who was entirely cut. Meanwhile, though with some delay in comparison to the timeline in the books, Season 6 will return to House Greyjoy and the ironborn and House Tully and Riverrun, who haven't been a major presence in the show since Season 2 and Season 3 respectively, yet have major subplots starting in the fourth novel, with Yara Greyjoy as a new POV narrator character and Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully in charge of Riverrun, as he wasn't present at the Red Wedding massacre. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the TV series will incorporate them, as there were links between these and the already adapted storylines, such as the Crown's reactions to actions taken by the Greyjoys and the Tullys and viceversa. It is also unknown whether or not these subplots will progress far enough they reach material taken from The Winds of Winter.

These notable exceptions notwithstanding, most storylines in the sixth season will draw upon the as-yet-unpublished sixth novel, The Winds of Winter. George R.R. Martin did give the TV producers a general outline of events that will happen in the final two unpublished novels, though the adaptation process will fundamentally change, as the writers won't have access to full text versions, nor is there currently any way of discerning how accurate it is going to be compared to the future novels (e.g., if the actions of one character in Season 6 are actually a condensation of the actions of two different characters in the sixth novel). Though Martin has released about half a dozen preview chapters from the sixth novel, it isn't clear if they can really be the basis of any future material in the TV series, due to already existing differences between the book series and the TV adaptation.

Production
In Northern Ireland, production would run for five months, from late July to early December. Interior shooting returned to the show's headquarters, the Paint Hall Studios in Belfast. Meanwhile, location shooting took place at the following locations: Garron Point (previously Runestone) ; the Winterfell set in Moneyglass ; Magilligan (reprising its part as the Dothraki sea) ; the Castle Black set in Maghermorne ; Ballintoy (returning as Pyke) ; Sallagh Brae in Larne (where a small sept set was built) ; Glenarm (previously the Vale) ; Carnlough Harbour (as a Braavosi canal), Shane's Castle (once more as the foundations of the Great Sept of Baelor) ; Carncastle (previously the fields around Winterfell) ; Aghanloo Wood ; Saintfield (as the site for "The Battle of the Six Armies" , a climactic Northern battle) , which demanded the show's lengthiest shoot for a battle scene ; the new Riverrun set in Corbet (built for the first time, since in the third season the castle was realized only with Gosford Castle's gardens, an interior hall set and a distant matte painting for a single shot); and the quarry on Knocklayd Mountain.

Ever since Croatia was introduced into the production for the second season, it has been the main source of locations outside of Northern Ireland, yet this season only returned to the country for a brief shoot in Dubrovnik, which reappears as King's Landing. Previously, Dubrovnik had been both King's Landing and Qarth, while Klis, Split and Šibenik depicted Meereen and Braavos. This season turned to new Spanish locations instead.

In Spain, filming took place between late August and late October. In Girona, the locations were the Sant Pere de Galligants abbey's exterior (as a Braavosi bridge) , the Plaça dels Jurats (as a Braavosi theater stage) , the streets of Ferran el Catòlic, Sant Martí and l’Escola Pia (as Braavosi marketplaces) , another local street (as an alley in Oldtown) , and the Girona Cathedral's exterior (as the Great Sept in King's Landing). Later locations were the Santa Florentina Castle in Catalonia (as Horn Hill), the Bardenas natural park in Navarre (as the Dothraki Sea) , the Zafra Castle in Guadalajara (as the Tower of Joy) , and Montgrí Castle and Besalú in the Costa Brava. In Peñíscola, all filming spots posed as Meereen: the Portal Fosc (as a dilapidated street) , the Plaza de Santa María (as a granary) , the Parque de la Artillería (as a garden) and the Plaza de Armas. In Almería, filming took place at a new Vaes Dothrak set in Pechina , at the Mesa Roldán Lighthouse , on the Tabernas desert (as the Dothraki Sea) , at the Alcazaba (as Meereen), and on the Gypsum Karst of Sorbas.

Cast
Returning starring cast
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Mother Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as Lord Commander Jon Snow
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
 * Natalie Dormer as Queen Margaery Tyrell
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre
 * Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
 * Alfie Allen as Prince Theon Greyjoy
 * Sophie Turner as Lady Sansa Stark
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane
 * Hannah Murray as Gilly
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
 * Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn
 * Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Dean-Charles Chapman as King Tommen Baratheon
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar
 * Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton
 * Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont

Returning guest starring cast
 * Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow
 * Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
 * Clive Russell as Ser Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully
 * David Bradley as Lord Walder Frey
 * Natalia Tena as Osha
 * Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell
 * Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
 * Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell
 * Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
 * Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
 * Eugene Simon as Brother Lancel
 * Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Mace Tyrell
 * Sibel Kekilli as Shae
 * Gemma Whelan as Princess Yara Greyjoy
 * Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister
 * Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
 * Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
 * Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
 * Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
 * Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Ser Gregor Clegane
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor
 * DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah
 * Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
 * Lino Facioli as Lord Robin Arryn
 * Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce
 * Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck
 * Brenock O'Connor as Olly
 * Faye Marsay as the Waif
 * Hannah Waddingham as Septa Unella
 * Josephine Gillan as Marei

New major cast members
 * Ian McShane as TBA. Announced August 1, 2015
 * Max von Sydow as the Three-eyed raven. Announced August 3, 2015.
 * Sebastian Croft as Young Eddard Stark. Announced August 9, 2015.
 * Eddie Eyre as Ser Alfred Hunrith. Announced August 27, 2015.
 * Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy. Announced September 1, 2015.
 * Freddie Stroma as Dickon Tarly. Announced September 4, 2015.
 * Richard E. Grant as Izembaro. Announced September 7 & 11, 2015.
 * Essie Davis as Lady Stork. Announced September 11, 2015.
 * James Faulkner as Lord Randyll Tarly. Announced September 16, 2015.
 * Samantha Spiro as Lady Melessa Tarly. Announced September 16, 2015.
 * Rebecca Benson as Talla Tarly. Announced September 16, 2015.
 * Robert Aramayo as TBA. Announced September 30, 2015.
 * Luke Roberts as TBA. Announced October 1, 2015.
 * Joe Naufahu as Khal Jhaqo. Announced October 1 & 2, 2015.
 * Melanie Liburd as High Priestess Kinvara. Announced October 3 & 4, 2015.
 * Souad Faress as the High Priestess of the dosh khaleen. Announced August 27 & October 15, 2015.

New minor cast members
 * Sam Coleman as TBA. Announced July 2, 2015.
 * Ricky Champ as Flynn. Announced July 23, 2015
 * Fergus Leathem as TBA. Announced August 9, 2015.
 * Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as TBA. Announced August 26, 2015.
 * Andrew Bryan as a Bolton officer. Announced August 26, 2015.
 * Tristan Heanue as TBA. Announced August 26 ,2015
 * Robert Render as TBA. Announced August 28, 2015.
 * Eddie Jackson as TBA. Announced August 29, 2015.
 * Glen Barry as a theater troupe member. Announced August 29, 2015.
 * Brendan O'Rourke as a theater troupe member. Announced August 29, 2015.
 * Ross Anderson as a theater troupe member. Announced September 7, 2015.
 * Michael Heath as Kesh. Announced September 9, 2015.
 * Eva Butterly as a theatre troupe member. Announced September 10, 2015.
 * Eline Powell as a theater troupe member. Announced September 10, 2015.
 * Kevin Eldon as a theater troupe leading actor. Announced September 11, 2015.
 * Leigh Gill as Bobono. Announced September 12, 2015.
 * Kevin Horsham as a Westerosi sea captain. Announced September 15, 2015.
 * Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir as a Braavosi musician. Announced September 17, 2015.
 * Ragnar Þórhallsson as a Braavosi musician. Announced September 17, 2015.
 * Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson as a Braavosi musician. Announced September 17, 2015.
 * Raül Tortosa as a Tyrell bannerman. Announced September 17, 2015.
 * Michael Nevin as TBA. Announced October 14, 2015.
 * Staz Nair as a Dothraki. Announced October 15, 2015.

Reported new characters
 * Smalljon Umber.
 * Lord Arnolf Karstark.
 * Aeron Greyjoy.
 * Young Lyanna Stark.
 * Young Benjen Stark.
 * Young Hodor.
 * Qhogo, a Dothraki.
 * Akrat, a Dothraki.
 * Bower, a servant.
 * Lachlan, an outlaw leader.
 * Japeth, an outlaw.
 * A wry, articulate Lord.
 * A Septon (A "priest" who fits the description of Septon Meribald).
 * A legendary fighter who fits the description of Ser Arthur Dayne.
 * A hapless man who fits the description of a son of Walder Frey.
 * A Child of the Forest.
 * A large boy.
 * A 7 year old boy.
 * A hunter.
 * A submissive maester.
 * A green recruit.
 * A sympathiser (1).
 * A sympathiser (2).
 * A sympathiser (3).
 * A housemaid.
 * A father.
 * A rugged pirate.
 * A smart male theatergoer.
 * A young stunner.
 * A sublime courtesan.
 * A long-haired Dothraki warrior.
 * A young Dothraki warrior.
 * An Oldtown maester.
 * A young Lhazareen member of the Dosh Khaleen.
 * A young Dothraki warrior.
 * An emanciated homeless mother.
 * Captain of the Tower.
 * A warrior in his 30's or 40's.
 * A distinguished old man.

Crew
On March 27 2015, author George R.R. Martin said he would again not write a script for Season 6, as he wished to concentrate on finishing The Winds of Winter as soon as possible. On June 4, Miguel Sapochnik indicated he was already preparing to direct next season. Jeremy Podeswa made similar statements in June 12. On June 19, the showrunners confirmed that April Ferry would be the new costume designer for Season 6, replacing Michele Clapton, who decided to leave after five seasons. On June 22, newcomer Jack Bender announced he would direct two episodes for season six. The full list of directors and which episodes they would oversee was released in Entertainment Weekly on June 25. There will be five directors, each doing two back to back episodes, as in Season 5. Jack Bender and Daniel Sackheim are working on the TV series for the first time, while the other three directors previously worked on the series in Season 5; none worked on the first four seasons.

Producers

 * David Benioff: executive producer & showrunner
 * D.B. Weiss: executive producer & showrunner
 * Bernadette Caulfield: executive producer
 * Frank Doelger: executive producer
 * Carolyn Strauss: executive producer
 * George R.R. Martin: co-executive producer
 * Vince Gerardis: co-executive producer
 * Guymon Casady: co-executive producer
 * Greg Spence: producer
 * Chris Newman: producer
 * Bryan Cogman: producer
 * Lisa McAtackney: producer
 * April Ferry: costume designer
 * Deborah Riley: production designer
 * Ramin Djawadi: composer
 * Nina Gold: casting director
 * Robert Sterne: casting director

Writers

 * David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
 * Bryan Cogman: 2 episodes

Directors

 * Jeremy Podeswa - episodes 1 and 2
 * Daniel Sackheim - episodes 3 and 4
 * Jack Bender - episodes 5 and 6
 * Mark Mylod - episodes 7 and 8
 * Miguel Sapochnik - episodes 9 and 10