Game of Thrones to return to Iceland and Spain

“Now that winter has arrived on Game of Thrones, executive producers David Benioff and DB Weiss felt that the storylines of the next season would be better served by starting production a little later than usual, when the weather is changing,” said Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming.

“Instead of the show’s traditional spring debut, we’re moving the debut to summer to accommodate the shooting schedule.”

Northern Ireland has been home to Game of Thrones for the past six seasons and has helped boost the region’s crew base and studio infrastructure.

The show is also a repeat visitor to both Spain and Iceland. Spanish filming locations for the new season will include Sevilla, Caceres, Almodovar del Rio and Santiponce in the south-west of the country, and Zumaia and Bermeo on the north coast.

Spain now offers a 15% filming incentive for international producers shooting on the mainland. This figure rises sharply to 35% for the Canary Islands, which have offered a separate tax regime for several years.

The Canaries are already established as popular international filming locations for movies like In the Heart of the Sea, the Fast & Furious franchise and Warner Bros’ remake of Clash of the Titans, as well as its sequel Wrath of the Titans.

For more on filming in Spain see our production guide.

Image: HBO