Words are wind. After everyone got excited about the news that Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) had hinted at an April 2019 premiere date for Game of Thrones, Williams decided to clear some things up via her personal Twitter account. According to Williams, the quote attributed to her that was being spread is false and from an interview she did years ago. It’s certainly not the first or last time the Game of Thrones community has succumbed to misinformation, and it’s good to remember to be a little more critical of exciting news. Call me a hopeless optimist, but I still wonder if Williams’ words aren’t perhaps a hasty retraction at the behest of the higher-ups at HBO, but we shall just have to wait and see.
Regardless of any premature quibbling over premiere dates, the filming for Game of Thrones’ final season is still chugging along. The show’s filming crew is back in Dubrovnik aka King’s Landing, for some shoots, though it looks like there may not be many main actors on location. Meanwhile– and leave now if you aren’t fond of spoilers–fans have been having conniptions all week over some surreptitiously acquired footage of the Winterfell set being repeatedly set ablaze. That poor castle has been through an awful lot of wear and tear over the years, and it’s difficult to determine who could be to blame for its destruction this time around– Undead Viserion? Cersei? A rogue dragon? Either way, it looks like the Starks may be forced once again out of their family home. It’s a sad thought, as is the end of the show for most of the actors, at least according to Lena Headey, who claimed in a recent interview that almost all of her colleagues cried during the October script read-through for the final season of Thrones. Over the years, Game of Thrones actors have allegedly been moved to tears many, many times over scripts they have read. At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if this wide-spread assertion is a marketing tactic designed to remind us how the show has a habit of pulling at our heartstrings or if the GOT cast is an especially emotional lot. All joking aside, it is doubtlessly hard for the actors to say goodbye to their on-set camaraderie, and hang up their swords and wigs. I’m sure many tears will be shed by fans next year, as well, when the final credits roll.
Most of the cast, including Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), seem to be currently filming in Iceland. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) also joined Clarke and Harington in Iceland, and perhaps more cast-members will trickle down in the next few days. It looks like we can anticipate more frigid group bonding scenes, similar to the expedition to catch a wight last season.
We will continue to update you with the latest Game of Thrones news. Check in later to stay on top of the latest developments regarding the show.