Jon Snow
Kit Harington, pictured at the “Testament of Youth” premiere in New York on June 2, 2015, recently revealed he’ll return in Season 6 to play his character, Jon Snow, but only as a corpse. Getty Images

As new episodes of “Game of Thrones” draw closer, speculation about the fate of some characters is getting serious. After constantly denying his involvement in Season 6, actor Kit Harington has softened a bit and confessed he will be a part of the show, but stopped short of confirming if his character is alive and kicking.

Speaking to Time Out London about his upcoming role in the West End’s production of “Doctor Faustus,” the outlet asked him point-blank if he had filmed scenes for “Game of Thrones” Season 6. Backed into a corner, the media-savvy star revealed that, yes, he will appear in new episodes, but only as the corpse of Jon Snow.

For those unfamiliar with where things stand on “Game of Thrones,” or those who just need a refresher, [SPOILER ALERT] Season 5 ended on a huge cliff-hanger that saw Harington’s beloved character stabbed several times by mutinous members of the Night’s Watch. The season ended on a shot of Snow’s body looking lifeless, but not necessarily dead. With fans believing Snow is destined for a larger purpose, many refused to believe he’s gone for good — despite everyone connected with the show’s insistence that the mutiny was curtains for the character.

Speculation ran even more rampant when the Daily Mail released photos from the set of the HBO fantasy drama showing Harington in full costume preparing for a scene. If the 29-year-old actor were under instruction to keep his extended future with the show a secret, these images let the cat out of the bag. Now it seems the photos can be explained away as simply as Harington’s admission that he flew all the way to Belfast to be a corpse. As the Hollywood Reporter notes, it wouldn’t be the first time an actor has returned to the series just to play a dead body. After meeting his end in Season 4, Charles Dance reprised his role as Tywin Lannister in Season 5 just to lie on a funeral slab.

Although the actor seems bent on convincing people that the days of Jon Snow have truly come to an end, there’s still reason to hope some plot magic will bring him back to life. First of all, he doesn’t look anything like a dead body in the aforementioned images on set. Second, Snow has been featured prominently in some of the promotional materials for the series’ return. Third, Harington alluded to filming multiple scenes as a corpse, meaning there may be more in store for the character beyond a funeral scene.

Fans will just have to wait until “Game of Thrones” returns on April 24 to find out for sure what happens to Jon Snow.

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