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 is expected to again consist of ten episodes and is expected to commence production in July 2015, running late into the year. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will return as executive producers and showrunners for both seasons, 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 series, The Winds of Winter. However, some unused elements and storylines from the fourth and fifth novel, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, will still be included.

Plot
Winter has come. Westeros braces for a winter which many fear will last a decade, while the White Walkers and their army of the undead begin their attack against The Wall.

In King's Landing, Queen Cersei Lannister has been publicly shamed by the Faith of the Seven and awaits her trial. Even Grand Maester Pycelle has abandoned her, and called her uncle Kevan Lannister to rule as the new Hand of the King. Even though Cersei has been released to their custody, her inept leadership nearly destroyed House Lannister's hold on the throne and they have no intention of ever letting her wield power again. Kevan and Pycelle must attempt to mend the damage Cersei did to the Lannister-Tyrell alliance. The Lannisters and Tyrells on Kevan's Small Council maintain a shaky truce as they attempt to deal with the ongoing debt crisis to the Iron Bank of Braavos, as well as the rise of the fanatical Faith Militant due to Cersei's blunders. Cersei meanwhile, though seemingly humbled, still has a few schemes she will attempt to play to regain control.

In The North, House Bolton has triumphed over Stannis Baratheon - but in the distraction of the battle Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy finally made an escape attempt, desperately jumping off Winterfell's castle walls. Brienne of Tarth, who executed Stannis personally, must now deal with the consequences of putting her revenge against Renly before her oath to protect Sansa Stark.

In Dorne, Ellaria Sand's poisoning of Cersei's daughter Princess Myrcella may now push House Martell to war with the Iron Throne.

Across the Narrow Sea, in the Free City of Braavos, Arya Stark killed Meryn Trant by using one of the Faceless Men's living masks without permission - and without the proper training, use of the mask has poisoned her and rendered her blind. Her training with the Faceless Men continues, as the now blind little girl must learn to rely on her other senses to survive.

In Slaver's Bay, Daenerys Targaryen's attempt to liberate Meereen has resulted in massive bloodshed, with the former slave-masters conspiring to retake the city. In a large scale ambush on the opening day of the games in the fighting pits, however, Daenerys climbed onto Drogon's back to try to escape the danger - but she could not make him return to the city. Instead the young dragon flew north to the southern border of the Dothraki Sea, the lands of his birth, where the stranded Daenerys has been surrounded by a hostile Dothraki khalasar numbering in the thousands. Jorah Mormont and Daario Naharis have set out to search for her. Meanwhile, back in the city Daernerys's advisors Tyrion Lannister, Missandei, and Grey Worm are joined by Varys in attempting to hold together rule over the city wracked by civil war until when - or if - Daenerys returns.

At The Wall, Lord Commander Jon Snow attempted to prepare for the coming of the White Walkers by letting as many surviving wildlings through to the south as he could - but tens of thousands more were killed and resurrected as undead wights at Hardhome. The leading Night's Watch officers, increasingly upset at Jon's proposed alliance with the wildlings, stage a mutiny against him, stabbing Jon multiple times in the courtyard of Castle Black until he fell.

Just before the mutiny against Jon Snow, he sent away Samwell Tarly to go to the Citadel in Oldtown, Westeros's second largest city (located in the Reach), in order to train to be a new maester to replace Maester Aemon after his passing. Samwell takes Gilly and her young son with him, rather than leave them in the path of the White Walkers.

Distracted by their ongoing political intrigues to the east in King's Landing, the exhausted lords of Westeros must brace for the rise of the kraken: the ironborn led by House Greyjoy. Early in the War of the Five Kings the Iron Islands declared their independence from the mainland, led by King Balon Greyjoy, then betrayed the Starks by raiding the North while its army was away in the south. Other than quick raids against easy targets, however, a few of which were later lost to the Boltons, the Greyjoys have remained relatively uninvolved in the ongoing civil war ever since, content to sit back while the mainland tore itself to pieces. The result is that the ironborn's massive fleet remains at full strength, and their armies nearly so, while the major powers of the mainland have been nearly exhausted fighting each other. In the three years since the Fall of Winterfell, the ironborn have been almost forgotten by the major factions of central Westeros.

All of this changes with the sudden return of Balon's exiled younger brother Euron Greyjoy - cunning, ruthless, manipulative, and more than a little insane, he strikes fear even into the other ironborn. With Balon's last son Theon believed lost, Euron begins insinuating himself among the ironborn, and pushing for them to launch massive new offensives against the western coasts - not simply to raid, but to hold and conquer territory, and ultimately Euron's ambition is nothing less than to conquer all of the Seven Kingdoms outright. He is opposed among the ironborn by Balon's daughter Yara Greyjoy, his niece, who urges that the Iron Islands must preserve their strength and engage in diplomacy with the mainland if they are to survive what is coming.

And as the winds of winter begin to sweep through the south, far Beyond the Wall young Bran Stark has been staying with the last of the Children of the Forest and the Three-eyed raven to hone his abilities. Bran will not walk again, but he has learned to fly.

Production
On May 18, 2015, HBO confirmed that filming for Season 6 would continue in Croatia and return to the cities of Dubrovnik, Split, Klis, and Sibenik.

Location scouting for Season 6 began in the cities of Girona and Pensicola as well as Almeria. On June 3, 2015, it was confirmed that filming would return to Spain and that part of the season would be shot in the cities of Girona and Pensicola.

Returning starring cast
All starring cast members whose characters survive the events of Season 5 are expected to return for the sixth season.
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister.
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark.

Returning guest starring cast

 * Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce.

Reported new characters
In past TV seasons, casting calls frequently gave the names of major characters who were going to be introduced. Apparently fearing that this was leading to too many spoilers, however, starting with Season 6 HBO did not actually include the names of characters in their casting calls, only descriptions - though several of these descriptions are specific enough that the identity of the character can be discerned with reasonable certainty:


 * A "Pirate" who fits the description of Euron Greyjoy.
 * A "Father" who fits the description of Randyll Tarly.
 * A "Mother" who fits the description of Melessa Tarly.
 * A "Sister" who fits the description of Talla Tarly.
 * A "Brother" who fits the description of Dickon Tarly.
 * A "Priest" who fits the description of Septon Meribald.
 * A leading actress with a traveling theater troupe.
 * A priestess.
 * A fierce warrior who fits the description of a Dothraki Khal.
 * A large boy.
 * A 12 year old boy.
 * A 7 year old boy.
 * A Child of the Forest.

Crew
On March 27 2015, author George R.R. Martin said he would again not write a script for season six, as he wished to concentrate on finishing The Winds of Winter as soon as possible.

Producers

 * David Benioff: executive producer.
 * D.B. Weiss: executive producer.

Writers

 * David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Directors

 * Miguel Sapochnik
 * Jeremy Podeswa