The return of The Hound might just be another surprising revelation in ‘Game of Thrones’ season six as actor Rory McCann was reportedly spotted staying at a Belfast hotel often used by HBO and other cast members of the hit fantasy drama during filming.
Viewers have last seen The Hound, whose real name is Sandor Clegane, in the ‘Game of Thrones’ season four finale, titled ‘The Children.’
In this episode, the former King’s Landing warrior begged Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) to put an end to his life after he viciously fought with Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). Ned Stark’s younger daughter refused to be merciful to him and left The Mountain’s brother go through a slow, painful death or so it was thought by many.
The Hound was not necessarily shown taking his last breaths on screen, causing some fans to believe that he could still be alive.
Interestingly, such speculation might be spot on due to reports that McCann was recently seen in Belfast.
According to the Watchers on the Wall, the 46-year-old actor does not seem to be working on any other projects at present, and there is no other obvious reason for him to be staying in Belfast aside from filming scenes for ‘Game of Thrones.’
In an interview with Access Hollywood at San Diego Comic-Con last year, McCann stated that he is open to the idea that his mighty character could still be alive.
"It wasn't looking good, was it? If he opens his mouth, and 'blubbbb,' the blood comes out, that's not looking good," the actor said about his last scene on the HBO series. "There's always hope, but, I don't know."
Last year, Williams also admitted that she prefers to have The Hound return to the show.
"I really hope that it's not the end of the Hound," the 18-year-old actress told Vulture. "I honestly don't know what's going to happen ... but in terms of speculation? If it was up to me, and it's not up to me, unfortunately, but the Hound would be back in a second."
As the TV show continues to gain momentum and has somehow taken on a faster pace than the books on which it is based on, author George R.R. Martin admitted that he has accepted the possibility that the small-screen adaptation might already end even before his novels reach a conclusion.
"Anything is possible," Martin said as he acknowledged the likelihood that the critically-acclaimed HBO fantasy drama is pressing on like a "jet locomotive." "They're writing 60-page scripts, I'm writing 1,500-page novels," he said. "So who the hell knows?"
‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss also recognized the possibility that the TV version may end sooner than the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ novel series.
"Luckily, we've been talking about [the series outpacing the books] with George for a long time, ever since we saw this could happen, and we know where things are heading," Benioff explained. "And so we'll eventually, basically, meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going; there might be a few deviations along the route, but we're heading towards the same destination."
The sixth book titled ‘The Winds of Winter’ is yet to be given an official release date while ‘Game of Thrones’ season six could air in April 2016 on HBO.
