Game of Thrones: Arya Stark and The Night King fight originally panned out differently

Game of Thrones almost took a very different direction in the season eight epic The Long Night as Arya Stark plunged a dagger into the gut of The Night King.

The young warrior famously came out of nowhere just when the monster appeared as though he was about to kill Bran Stark (played by Isaac Hempstead Wright), who eventually went on to take the Iron Throne.

Although the leader of the White Walkers hesitated, prompting further speculation Bran was The Night King (Vladimir Furdik) but now that’s just another question we’ll never know the answer to.

Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the third instalment of season eight which was widely hailed as the cycle’s peak, has revealed the build up to the moment Arya leapt from the shadows was initially written to be much longer, and would have explained how she got there.

‘At one point there was an elaborate plan to have her fight her way into the Weirwood forest, but as we progressed we realised she’d already done that earlier in the episode, so it felt like a repeat,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.

‘In the end we felt it didn’t matter how she got there – what mattered was setting up that moment when the Night King catches her mid-leap and we think she’s done for, then she pulls her knife switch and takes him out.’

The Long Night was widely slammed for being ‘too dark’ with thousands of fans moaning they couldn’t see the battle they’d spent the best part of a decade waiting for.

To that, Miguel answered back: ‘I think [cinematographer] Fabian Wagner did an outstanding job.’

Game of Thrones seasons one to eight are available to stream on NOW TV.

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