'Game of Thrones' season 7 release date and news: Spain location to serve as the 'Dragonpit?'

Next year will see the arrival of "Game of Thrones" season seven; it will be the second to the last season of HBO's multi-award-winning series, and rumors have pointed out to a shooting location that will serve as the ancient Targaryen "Dragonpit."

According to reports, the ruins of Italica in Santiponce, Spain, will serve as the location for the ancient dragon's keep. Though the Dragonpit had not been shown in the series, the location has been mentioned in the books.

The Dragonpit was located atop the Hill of Rhaenys, and it used to house all of the Targaryens' royal dragons. The pit is now an ancient ruin where the dome roof has collapsed, the doors are locked shut, and the walls have been blackened by fire.

According to the "Ice and Fire" lore, dragons that were grown in the pit never grew to be as large as that of the Targaryen dragons that existed before its construction. The place had also seen a raid by the common folk at some point, and a plague called "The Great Spring Sickness" had a massive pile of corpses burned there by ancient pyromancers using wildfire.

Since the building is located in King's Landing, it's possible that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) might want to use it as a base for operations that can also keep her dragons; or the current Queen of Westeros, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) could try to inspect the ruins to find a means to fight the dragons.

Other rumors have also sprung up that Lord Robert's (Mark Addy) bastard son Gendry (Joe Dempsie) will be making a return this season. The last time viewers saw him, he was put on a boat by Sir Davos (Liam Cunningham) and was told to paddle his way to freedom from Dragonstone. Maybe Gendry has made a suitable new life for himself? He was a skilled blacksmith back in season one.

"Game of Thrones" season 7 airs on HBO sometime in 2017.