Game of Thrones season eight is still around a year away from release, but fans are excited to sit down and enjoy the final series of this epic story of power and betrayal. Speculation has been rife. What events will unfold? Which characters will die? Who will take the Iron Throne? Though lips are being kept tightly shut of the plot, a couple of small leaks have given us clues as to what will happen. Here is everything we know about Game of Thrones season eight thus far.
Production and Release Date
Back in January of this year, HBO announced that season eight of Game of Thrones would not be released until 2019. We are still waiting for an exact date, though it is believed that the season could air around April. Fans will have to wait for the TV show to air, just like they will have to wait for the release of the Winds of Winter novel.
Filming of the season just wrapped, and though there are only six episodes, it could well have been the most intense shooting schedule to date. Many of the cast members were seen in Belfast for what is believed to be a post-shooting celebration.
Indeed, several actors have said in interviews that they have now finished their filming, including Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and Joe Dempsie, (Gendry), who said, “I’ve shot all my scenes.”
There could be several reasons why shooting and production took so long. One rumor is that the team shot multiple endings. An HBO executive said that this was to prevent any leaks, and actress Emilia Clarke seemed to admit this in a recent interview, though this could all be to throw the viewer off the scent of the plot finale.
Actress Hannah Murray (Gilly) denied the multiple endings theory, as did Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), who pointed out that there’s no way they would have the budget to film multiple endings.
The length of shooting may be due to the cinematic and high-quality production at work. It’s looking like viewers are in for a treat, with the season being compared to several one-hour long films.
So far, production has taken place in several locations, including Northern Ireland, Croatia, Iceland, and Seville, with multiple crews working in different locations, and actors spotted filming scenes across the world.
The season is directed by David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik, and most episodes are written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are also the showrunners.
The cast for Game of Thrones season eight will consist of many of the usual suspects from previous seasons, including Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) and more.
Will Daenerys attack King’s Landing?
One of the biggest rumors circulating right now regarding the plot is that Daenerys will attack King’s Landing, with or without the backing and aid of Jon Snow.
And Daenerys could do it, as she has all the skills needed. She would make one of the finest poker players in Game of Thrones as well as an excellent leader. With two dragons at her beck and call, Cersei has reason to fear a takeover from Daenerys.
And these assertions match up well with images released by Irish Thrones, a fan Twitter site focusing on obtaining shots of the set. The images show the capital city of King’s Landing in flames and ruins, with broken pillars and ornaments, implying an assault. Are Daenerys and her dragons behind the attack?
The same site has also shown pictures of a large rig structure that appears to be a dragon outside of the set of King’s Landing, though it was not seen on the set.
Emilia Clarke has spoken out about her final scenes in an interview with Vanity Fair. She said filming the scenes “f****d her up,” and that she will be doing all kinds of weird stuff. Interesting. We’ll have to wait and see what that means, but it’s clear that Daenerys plays a significant and possibly twisted role in the last season.
Character Deaths and Self-Destructing Scripts
The truth is, it’s quite difficult to know anything concrete about the plot for season eight of Game of Thrones. The producers are doing everything they can to prevent leaks and are being quite strict with everyone involved to make sure nobody babbles.
According to Nikolaj Caster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister, the cast are given digital scripts to go off during filming, and these scripts self-destruct after every scene — they vanish, never to be seen again!
What we do know is that there was a two-and-a-half-month shooting for the biggest ever battle scene in Game of Thrones — a battle that takes place in Winterfell.
HBO executives have also strongly suggested that several of the main characters will die in the last few episodes in what a bittersweet ending it will be. According to HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi, speaking of the script table reading, the characters “one by one start falling to their death.” We wouldn’t have it any other way!
Game of Thrones season eight is set for release in 2019. It will be broadcast on HBO and Sky Atlantic. Only then we will know the truth of the fate of King’s Landing, Winterfell and the characters that we have come to know and love.
What do you think will happen in the last season? Let us know in the comments below!