Game of Thrones is notoriously tight-lipped about every single thing involved with shooting an episode, from plot to casting to, y'know, whether certain pivotal characters were alive or dead going from one season into the next. Any piece of information could be a hint as to what's in store for us, so you can't let anything sneak by. The newest casting rumor is that a certain 90-year-old film luminary will be added to the cast. Bustle reached out to Angela Lansbury's manager and HBO for comment; Lansbury's manager did not send a response by the time of publication, and HBO responded, "Unfortunately, we can’t confirm…or deny." (Update: Lansbury's representatives later denied the rumor on September 7, stating that this is "not accurate.)
Earlier: In light of that, who will Angela Lansbury play on Game of Thrones Season 7? I'm guessing she'll be a new character in Oldtown, where Samwell Tarly just arrived in the final episode of Season 6. And I've got all the research I need to back it up.
According to the German newspaper Bild, Lansbury is in Northern Ireland right this very moment for four days of shooting, collecting footage that Bild says will go to two episodes of the critically-acclaimed show, citing rumors they came across in "production circles." The rumor hasn't been confirmed (or denied), but, in the meantime, let's get to analyzing where Angela Lansbury fits into the Game of Thrones plot.
The entertainment media site IGN posted a list of all the GoT Season 7 character descriptions back in August, and, although it didn't include an entry that could apply to Lansbury, they did note that the show was casting actors who were specifically versed in RP. That stands for "Received Pronunciation," which is an upperclass British dialect — the Queen's English, if you will. IGN speculated that the actors with RP were intended to flesh out King's Landing, the most posh area we've spent much time in so far.
It's a pretty good guess, except for the fact that, if we've spent that much time in King's Landing, shouldn't we have run into Lansbury's character before? We haven't referenced any missing matrons from prominent families, as far as I can recall. And why would anyone be flooding into that area, now that Cersei Lannister has gone full commando, blowing the place to smithereens with wildfire? It seems much more likely, to me, at least, that Lansbury's character, if she exists, would be set up in a new location, one we haven't explored yet.
And that points directly to Oldtown. As I mentioned, Samwell Tarly just arrived there from the Wall, so we've only just had our first glimpse of that world and its potential characters. Since it surrounds the Citadel, where maesters are trained, I would expect Oldtown to be full of venerated, intelligent characters who have dedicated their lives to the accumulation of knowledge and the upkeep of Oldtown's vast library. The RP-touting, 90-year-old Angela Lansbury fits right into that category, as far as I'm concerned.
Of course, we won't know for sure until Season 7 premieres. But I think this is as good a guess as any.
Image: HBO; Giphy (2)
