The Game of Thrones Book Storyline You'll (Probably) Never See Happen

A popular book character won't be making a comeback as a zombie...at least not yet

By Chris Harnick Jun 27, 2014 2:11 PMTags
Game of Thrones, Michelle Fairley Helen Sloan/HBO

Sorry Game of Thrones fans, you won't meet Lady Stoneheart.

After not appearing in the finale like so many had hoped, especially after Lena Headey's (possibly drunk) Instagram tease, Michelle Fairley basically confirmed Catelyn Stark will not return as Lady Stoneheart.

"Yeah, the character's dead. She's dead," Fairley told Entertainment Weekly.

Boo, hiss. No zombies for Game of Thrones.

"You respect the writers' decision. I knew the arc, and that was it. They can't stick to the books 100 percent. It's impossible—they only have 10 hours per season. They have got to keep it dramatic and exciting, and extraneous stuff along the way gets lost in order to maintain the quality of brilliant show," she said while promoting 24: Live Another Day.

Game of Thrones director Alex Graves told Vulture Lady Stoneheart was never going to be part of the TV series' makeup.

"Well, she was never going to be a part of it. I know it caught on on the Internet, and people really started to believe it. I think the bottom line is that there was so much going on, at least from where I stood, that it wasn't something to get into because, you know, when you get into taking Michelle Fairley, one of the greatest actresses around, and making her a zombie who doesn't speak and goes around killing people, what's the best way to integrate that into the show? I don't think there was room for it this season," Graves said. "I don't know what they're going to do about it, because it is certainly something people attached to. I was attached to it because I established Thoros of Myr and Beric Dondarrion last year in the story to rejuvenate her. I have no idea what they plan to do about that because honestly, it just wasn't talked about. It wasn't on the radar."

There you have it: No Red Wedding vengeance for Lady Stoneheart.