Game of Thrones is returning with one key character — Melisandre. Actress Carice van Houten, who plays Melisandre a.k.a. the Red Woman, may have hinted at her return to the series in Season 8.
Cast for the HBO drama series are under strict orders from showrunners David Benoiff and Dan Weiss to stay away from social media for the duration of the series filming. However, van Houten shared a rather cryptic post on her Instagram that may have given away her character's fate in Season 8.
The actress shared a video of her driving at night. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that she is driving on the left side and that the traffic signs are on the left too. These suggest that van Houten is in the UK and fans already know this is where filming for Game of Thrones happens, specifically in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A quick search on Google maps using the road sign revealed that van Houten was driving southward from Belfast and 6 miles further south is the Linen Mill Studios in Corbet-Banbridge. Game of Thrones has filmed several locations in the studios including scenes in Winterfell and the Three-Eyed Raven's cave.
Given all these clues, it is safe to say that Melisandre is returning to Game of Thrones Season 8. Adding credence to this possibility is the fact that van Houten deleted the video from her Instagram.
Regardless, Season 7 already hinted at Melisandre's return in Season 8. During a conversation with Varys at Dragonstone, the Red Woman said that she is heading to Volantis, the known home of the Lord of Light religion, but she will return to Westeros one last time.
"I will return dear spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country just like you," Melisandre tells Varys in the video below.
Game of Thrones fans know that Melisandre could meet her demise if she returns to Westeros, specifically in the North. Jon Snow and Ser Davos Seaworth made it clear that she will die if she ever steps foot in the North again.
However, given van Houten's Instagram video, it is unclear whether Melisandre is returning to the North in Game of Thrones Season 8. Linen Mill Studios is home to several locations in the series. It is also where scenes for Riverrun, the battle at Casterly Rock and the ship scenes in Season 7 and reportedly again in Season 8, were also filmed.
