We’ve known for a while that the Game of Thrones production is planning to return to Iceland to shoot scene for Season 7. In years past, the country has stood in for areas beyond the Wall, where it’s very cold and snowy, as well as parts of the Riverlands. This time around, the production is heading there in January, so we can expect snow and lots of it.
What will they be filming up there? Given the timing, it’s probably somewhere beyond the Wall or in the North. It’ll be cold, at any rate. (In January of 2015, the average temperature in the capital city of Reykjavík was -0.3°C (31.5°F), below freezing. Godspeed, Game of Thrones crew.) Now, Watchers on the Wall has posted photos of a possible set being erected in the Gjáin valley, in the southern part of the country. SPOILERS follow.
The activity was found near a hydroelectric dam. Watchers notes that, while a local shopkeeper claimed this set was being used for Game of Thrones, there’s no independent confirmation that this is the case. At the same time, it’s not hard to picture Jon Snow and company going beyond the Wall and encountering a place like this. Or this could be part of the Wall itself.
Why might Jon Snow travel beyond the Wall? According to SPOILERS, at one point Jon and company will bring a wight to the Dragonpit, as proof that the threat from the White Walkers is real. To get a wight, he’s have to seek one out, which means traveling to their home turf. This all lines up with a massive plot leak that purports to lay out the story of Season 7 from end to end.
I’ll leave you with the words of former cast member Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant), who talked about the production’s plan for Iceland shooting at a recent con:
"I do know…that they are going to film a lot in Iceland in this coming season, and they actually started the shoot later than normal because they’re going to shoot through Christmas into the new year. And most of that I think is going to be in Iceland. So there’s obviously a very big story coming up with the White Walkers."
We’ll bring you more as it comes in, assuming anybody is bold enough to brave the area during the freezing temperatures.