As always with the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ new, SPOILERS AHEAD! Turn back now if you don’t want to ruin Season 8 for yourself!
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The news continues to trickle in from Watchers On the Wall about just how epic ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 is going to be, the latest of which comes with no pictures, but just a story about a grueling 55 day shoot, the longest battle shoot in the 8-year history of the show. For those unaware of such things, battle scenes can be a nightmare for productions, as logistically there can be an inordinate amount of actors and extras on set, moving, fighting, screaming and they all have to be dressed in costume, with props (both the real hardware and the rubber stuff to make sure they are not hurting one another). And even before you can say action they all have to be trained in whatever combat moves they will be performing, the choreography needing to be perfect lest they hurt one-another, meaning they all spend a lot of time working with stuntmen before and during the shoot. And all of this time and energy still does not include whatever animals (i.e. horses) are being used in the battle, the special effect work that needs to be figured out (i.e. actors in green screens standing in for wights), and the logistics of what time of day they need to be shooting, as a long battle may take place over many days, which means shooting during the day and at night, which means some cold, wet outings for everyone.
So a 55 day shoot for a television show doing a massive battle is something special indeed, and it is something to be celebrated that ‘Game of Thrones’ is going to all this trouble to bring something truly awe-inspiring to its final season. It is nice to see them take the time to thank their cast and crew for all the time and energy spent, as seen in the “Thank You note” sent out by “the Producer types,” a tradition that apparently started a few years earlier, but continued in the final season, which the cast and crew shared amongst themselves on social media recently. You can check it out for yourself below:
For those looking for details and SPOILERS about the battle, it appears it will all be taking place around Winterfell itself, as the “Toome” referenced in the note is the Moneyglass, Toome set of Winterfell, while the location of “Magheramorne” refers to a green-screen set used for some of the more VFX heavy shots of the battle.
Are you excited to see what this massive battle will look like on screen when ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 9 finally premieres next year? What do you think the final fate of Winterfell will be? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
