Game of Thrones star says their character might appear in prequel show

Carice van Houten has suggested that the Red Woman could potentially show up in the Game of Thrones prequel series.

The Dutch actress portrayed the priestess Melisandre for seven years on the HBO epic – sacrificing children and birthing shadow demons along the way – but ultimately (spoiler!) perished during its eighth and final season.

However, her magic necklace allowed her to live for an unnatural amount of time in the Thrones universe, meaning that her history could stretch back thousands of years – convenient when you consider the spin-off's setting.

Related: Game of Thrones star says the show's nudity was "all a little overwhelming"

In an interview with Deadline, Carice discussed the notion of Melisandre popping up in the prequel.

"Who knows. I guess you could see a very young Melisandre or something like that," she said, suggesting she may not be the one playing her. "That could be fun. But not in the shape of me. No one has contacted me about it.

"There are so many great characters, but I personally would have loved to see more of Melisandre's background."

Someone else playing the Red Woman? Hmmm, suddenly the idea doesn't sound as interesting.

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Meanwhile, actress Naomi Watts recently promised that fans "won't be let down" by the prequel.

She added: "It's a great team of people they've put together."

Game of Thrones aired on HBO in the US, and you can also catch up on the show via Hulu. Viewers in the UK can catch up via Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.

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Dan Seddon

Reporter, Digital Spy 

Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment. 

In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.