Fans of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and the equally popular A Song of Ice and Fire novels have been waiting for her. For five seasons, they have searched for her or any clues that she may be exacting revenge just beyond the view of the cameras, and for five seasons, they’ve been told not to expect her. Well, it looks like Lady Stoneheart may finally make an appearance in HBO’s version of Westeros .
Game of Thrones fansite Winter is Coming reports that sources close to the production revealed that Lady Stoneheart will appear in Game of Thrones Season 6, and she will be leading an army.
Lady Stoneheart’s origins lie in the gruesome betrayal of Robb Stark and his bannermen, known as the Red Wedding. After her death, Catelyn Stark was resurrected by the Brotherhood without Banners. She began a bloody rampage of revenge that culminated in a memorable confrontation with Brienne of Tarth.
Following the Red Wedding in Season 3 , Game of Thrones fans were eager to see Lady Stoneheart on-screen. But, in a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, frequent Game of Thrones director Alex Graves revealed that Lady Stoneheart was never intended to appear in Season 4’s Game of Thrones finale, “The Children,” and was unlikely to appear in Season 5. Executive Producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss haven’t commented on Lady Stoneheart’s absence. Those factors, combined with a July, 2015, interview for the Telegraph in which Michelle Fairley, who played Catelyn Stark, said she was “not under contract to Game of Thrones ” led many fans to conclude that Lady Stoneheart had been permanently dropped from the story line.
So, has everyone involved been lying to Game of Thrones fans for three years? Not exactly. Alex Graves hasn’t directed an episode of Game of Thrones since Season 4’s “The Children.” Likewise, Michelle Fairley has moved on to other projects. From their perspectives, Catelyn Stark’s story ended with the Red Wedding. Winter is Coming theorizes that Michelle Fairley won’t play Lady Stoneheart. By the time Catelyn Stark was resurrected by the Brothers without Banners, her body had irrevocably decomposed, meaning Catelyn doesn’t look the same as she did before her death, and the role could be recast.
Interestingly, Game of Thrones fan site Watchers on the Wall posted seemingly unrelated casting news at nearly the same time as the Winter is Coming article. Actress Souad Faress has been cast in Game of Thrones Season 6 as an unknown character. While Faress is by no means a dead ringer for Michelle Fairley, the two women do share features. Could prosthetic make up be used to transform her into the undead Catelyn Stark?
The Executive Producers of Game of Thrones are on the short list of people who know for certain. So far, neither David Benioff nor Dan Weiss have directly addressed Lady Stoneheart.
So for know, the watch continues.
[Image by HBO]