Game of Thrones actor spotted near Belfast set sparking season 8 return rumours

It seems fans will be treated to one more flashback in the final episodes

With Game of Thrones gearing up to a close, it seems like anything could happen in the show's final season.

So when one of the HBO series' past cast members posts a photo of themselves outside the Belfast hotel its stars usually reside in while filming takes place, it's no stretch to assume that they will most probably show up in the final run of episodes.

Step forward Welsh actor Wilf Scolding who appeared in the show's most recent episode - the season 7 finale - in a flashback scene. He played Rhaegar Targaryen, the character fans have been hearing about since the very first episode aired in 2011.

He's perhaps the most important deceased character what with the huge reveal that he is the father of rightful heir to the Iron Throne, Jon Snow (Kit Harington).

Scolding's now-deleted photo - as pointed out by winteriscoming.net - sees him posing outside the Europa Hotel in Belfast.

While it's certainly possible he's trying to dupe fans by posting an old photo from his time on set last year or simply filming something else, the fact remains: a flashback would be the best way for fans to learn more about Rhaegar instead of being forced to sit through exposition-heavy scenes featuring Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) and the not-very-conversational Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright).

Furthermore, Jon still needs to learn about his parentage (season 7 also revealed that Targaryen was secretly wed to Lyanna Stark) so a return for Scolding to clear things up - by way of Bran travelling back in time - seems likely.

Just last month, filming completed on what was described as the HBO series' biggest ever battle sequence after two and a half month's worth of night shoots in Toome, the location used for Winterfell.

HBO executives recently revealed that several main characters will die in the final few episodes of the series adding that the entire creative team gave showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss a 15-minute standing ovation as the final words of the series were read out in the table read.

Game of Thrones returns to HBO and Sky Atlantic for an eighth and final season in 2019.

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