Pivotal ‘Game of Thrones’ Battle Scene Attracts 8,600 Extras To Season Five Set

Game of Thrones mania has hit Spain – and practically the entire country wanted to be there to witness it.

According to Entertainment Weekly, a key Game of Thrones battle scene quantified that enthusiasm when the hit HBO show recently began filming season five of the epic based on George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed novels two weeks ago. The article mentioned how a casting call for 600 extras came back with over 8,600 applicants hoping to make the cut.

“Many applicants needed the work, but one hired extra told the production he took a vacation from his high-level banking job to be on the show. Meanwhile, others have clamored to get a glimpse of the show’s cast, with one even asking a random production staffer to pose for a photo merely because he was wearing a Thrones badge.”

James Costos, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain, told EW, “There’s tremendous excitement all over Spain, and it highlights the fact there are incredibly talented people here.”

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead]

Not all filming for Game of Thrones has been met with this kind of positive response, however. As reported by Inquistr, the producers of Game of Thrones were met with substantial resistance from the local government in Croatia because of a controversial scene involving star Lena Headley.

According to Fox News, the uproar involved a pivotal nude scene where Cersei — played by Lena Headey — was to exit out of the Church of St. Nicholas and onto the streets naked. “The local film commission,” the article mentioned, “reportedly refused to grant permits in August” because of regulations imposed by the local film commission. However, Game of Thrones found a workaround and the scene was added back.

Meanwhile, plenty of potential spoilers and rumors for season five of Game of Thrones has hit the internet in a big way. Entertainment Weekly recently dissected these rumors, debunking eight misconceptions about the HBO hit’s fifth season.

One of these rumors involved the character at the heart of last season’s epic season finale, the sinister Tywin Lannister. When we closed out season four of Game of Thrones, Twyin caught an arrow to his heart courtesy of his falsely accused son Tyrion, who then fled to parts unknown. According to EW, the actor who portrayed Tywin, Charles Dance, “spilled to an interviewer that we haven’t seen the last of his character, which prompted at least one major outlet to report that Tywin is not really dead.”

However, the article has assured everyone that “the Lannister patriarch firmly died in the season four finale.”