Game of Thrones Mania in Spain

The hit HBO series Game of Thrones films in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dubrovnik, Croatia. For the show’s upcoming fifth season, scenes are also being shot in Spain, which is a stand-in for the kingdom of Dorne, the homeland of House Martell. Filming began at Alcázar palace near Seville, then moved to Osuna where a large battle will be staged. The opportunity to be an extra led to a response that shows how popular the production is in Spain.

When the local production company Fresco Film put out a casting call for roughly 600 extras for a key battle Thrones scene, fans responded with an incredible 86,000 applications. The company needed to add more server space to accommodate the load. Many applicants needed the work, but one hired extra told the production he took a vacation from his high-level banking job to be on the show.

Meanwhile, others have clamored to get a glimpse of the show’s cast, with one even asking a random production staffer to post for a photo merely because he was wearing a Thrones badge.

Learn more at Entertainment Weekly, but be aware there are spoilers if you’re not current on the series through season four. -via Warming Glow