SPOILER ALERT: Game Of Thrones Casting Surprise

SPOILER ALERT: This story covers plot developments beyond the existing TV shows.

HBO has just signed new big-money deals with a number of the main players in Game Of Thrones - and one of them has sent fans into a frenzy of speculation.

Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will all reportedly be trousering £188,000 per episode of the fantasy drama as it heads into its seventh series.

But those who've already read the books have expressed surprise, because Harington's character Jon Snow should have been killed off by then.

The popular character meets his demise at the end of George RR Martin's fifth novel in the series - A Dance With Dragons - when he is betrayed by the Night's Watch and stabbed multiple times.

The five stars had only been under contract to the end of the as-yet-unmade sixth season of the show.

But a contract renegotiation has reportedly seen them put on more favourable terms in exchange for an option on a seventh series.

And The Hollywood Reporter adds: "The lower-salaried 'B' tier — which is said to include co-stars Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and others — is said to be scoring raises as well in exchange for season seven options.

"A still-lower tier of regular actors will receive much smaller pay increases, according to sources."

HBO is remaining tight-lipped on the speculation.