HBO is doing everything in its power to keep the secrets of Game of Thrones’ final season
under wraps but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from whirring away nonetheless.
These are a few of the spoilers that have slipped out so far.
Thanks to a first-look set report from Entertainment Weekly, we now know exactly how Game of Thrones'
first new episode will begin.
The season will kick off in Winterfell as Daenerys Targaryen drives her forces to the
North to help Jon Snow and his allies prepare for battle against the Night King's army.
The setup is expected to resemble the pilot episode's big arrival of Robert Baratheon
and will usher in some interesting reunions between various characters.
At least one person will be less than delighted at the new arrival, though — with Sansa
Stark reportedly being displeased with Jon's decision to "bend the knee" in allegiance
to Daenerys.
Considering what they're all up against, however, she might just have to get over it.
Executive producer Bryan Cogman told the magazine:
"It's about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing
with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death.
It's an incredibly emotional, haunting, bittersweet final season, and I think it honors very much
what George [R.R. Martin] set out to do."
In addition to Daenerys' journey to Winterfell, Jaime Lannister is also expected to be heading
in that direction — although Nikolaj Coster-Waldau couldn't guarantee he'll make it all the way.
Viewers of the 76th Golden Globe Awards were treated to a brief but powerful new teaser
for Game of Thrones' upcoming season.
Although it was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reel, the brief clip contained a pretty big
clue as to what lies ahead for the show.
In the eight-second piece of footage, which launched alongside a bevy of other HBO teaser
samples, Sansa is shown coming face to face with the Mother of Dragons at long last.
“Winterfell is yours, Your Grace.”
It's hard to tell whether Sansa's gesture is authentic or if she's become as cunning
as her late ear-whisperer Littlefinger, but in either case it's clear the Lady of Winterfell
is going to cede some power to Daenerys Targaryen for one reason or another — which is a pretty
surprising development given how reluctant she was to let Jon flit off to Dragonstone
and buddy up with Daenerys in the first place.
In January, HBO released a new teaser for Game of Thrones Season 8 that features Jon
Snow, Sansa Stark, and Arya Stark all convening in the Stark family crypt.
New to the scene is a trio of statues that represent the Stark siblings themselves — and,
notably, Bran Stark is missing.
His handicap has certainly never stopped him from going places before, so it can't realistically
be an access issue which is keeping him at bay.
Instead, his absence from the teaser may be a bit of an official wink to the long-held
fan theory that Bran Stark will become the Night King during one of his wargs back in
time.
The idea is that, since Bran has been able to affect certain aspects of history in the
past, he may inadvertently be the one to cause the ice zombie's ascent in the first place.
Although she's currently persona non grata with Jon Snow and the rest of the north, Melisandre
isn't done with her work for the Lord of Light just yet.
“Oh, I will return Despila one last time.”
“My lady.”
“I have to die in the strange country... just like you.”
Some fans theorize that the reason the Red Woman is headed off to the free city of Volantis
is to earn redemption.
If she is able to recruit the Fiery Hand, the 1,000 soldiers who guard the city and
follow the teachings of the Lord of Light, they may prove to be invaluable to the final
battle.
Were she to help Jon Snow and Daenerys fight the Night King's army in their hour of need,
she might even be invited to remain without fear of persecution for her past actions,
and die on Westerosian soil as she intends to.
Get ready to spend more time at the ancestral home of Balerion the Dread, because rumor
has it that the major players will all be meeting once again in the Dragonpit in Season
8 — and for much longer this time, too.
Watchers on the Wall reports that filming at the Roman ruins of Itálica in Seville
were scheduled from April 23th to May 19th, 2018.
That's nearly four weeks, which is quadruple the time the crew spent filming there for
Season 7.
Whether the scene is longer or just more action-packed, it’s certain to be substantially bigger
and better than the last time.
What's more, there were no additional casting calls for extras, which means it's probably
safe to assume that this particular scene will once again feature only the main characters
we already know.
And if Sophie Turner's talk of filming in Spain is a clue, then perhaps Sansa will get
to say her piece at the Dragonpit, too.
Rumors from The Dubrovnik Times indicate that the last scene of the entire series may very
well take place at King's Landing.
According to these reports, the scene would have been shot in January 2018, with tents
in the old town of Dubrovnik being a big sign that something was shot at King's Landing
with most of the main cast.
No additional extras were called beyond the main cast members, which is perhaps what caused
sources to speculate that it was, in fact, the final scene.
Nothing is official, of course, but surely King's Landing — the infamous home of the
Iron Throne — would be a fitting location to end the series which is all about that
seat of power.
Promisingly, the news that multiple main cast members were present is also a good indication
that they probably don't all die in the second War for the Dawn.
Thank the gods for that.
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