LONDON - Is Jon Snow - the Game Of Thrones character who was dramatically killed on the show in June - coming back alive on Thrones' upcoming Season 6?

The question has come up after Kit Harington, who plays Snow in the hit HBO series, has been photographed on the set of Thrones in Belfast, Ireland, sending fans into a tizzy of anticipation.

The Season 5 finale had shocked fans when Snow was assassinated by his own men in the closing seconds of the episode.

HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo even confirmed the death, telling reporters in July: "Dead is dead is dead. He be dead. Everything I've seen, heard and read, Snow is dead."

But the paparazzi picture on the Mail Online last Friday appears to show the commander as very much alive - Harington was pictured, in between filming, talking to crew members, dressed in a costume and with sword in hand.

As was reported, Harington, 28, also admitted in a recent interview with Belgian magazine Humo that he would be with Thrones for a while.

"The important thing is that I now know exactly how long I am still under contract... Let's just say that Game Of Thrones will remain a part of my life for a while, I'll probably be in my 30s when it's over," he said.

Still, there is talk that Snow may well re-appear in Thrones in flashbacks. The new series returns in the spring.