Does this new Game of Thrones filming location and casting suggest the death of another character?
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
**SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT**
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ SERIES SIX PLOT SPOILERS, STOP. READING. NOW.
When a new Game of Thrones series starts filming, it's prime time to do some detective work on which characters will be killed off.
And while viewers have suffered some heartbreaking demises in recent months, the latest character rumoured to die in series six – Theon's father Balon Greyjoy, the tyrant king of the Iron Islands – isn't exactly a fan favourite.
Two key things have happened to spark this theory:
Firstly, Danish actor Pilou Asbæk (Borgen) has been cast as Euron Greyjoy, Balon's brother. According to fan site Watchers on the Wall, the actor was spotted filming with the cast in a scene that involved a crowd cheering for his character.
This is important because in George R.R Martin's novel A Storm of Swords, Balon's death allows the rise to power of Euron, a skilled warrior who plays a crucial role in the story.
In the books, Balon's demise is reported to Catelyn Stark before the Red Wedding carnage so his death is long overdue (two series, to be precise). The fact he's lived so long in the TV show is fairly remarkable given that one of the three leeches Stannis and Melisandre threw in the fire signified his death (the other two were Robb and Joffrey and we all know what happened to them).
However, the arrival of Euron suggests that Balon's days in the Seven Kingdoms are numbered.
Secondly, a new filming location gives a big hint that Balon might be for the high jump.
Photos taken by Instagram user @weeflem suggest series six is shooting in the Irish town of Ballintoy and on the Carrick-a-Rede bridge – a suspension bridge made of rope and wood which dangles over a cliff.
And here's the suspicious bit... In the books, Balon falls to his death from a bridge just like it.
So Euron's been cast and the filming location matches the description of Balon's death in the books. Coincidence? Probably not.
