When there are hundreds of cast and crew working on a series as sprawling as Game of Thrones, itâs fair to say theyâre terrified about the ending being leaked.
And when youâve worked for 10 years towards that ending, it must be protected at all costs, right?
So by saving the twist from being revealed, the showâs braintrust set about devising a twist on the fans.
Two years ago, Emilia Clarke suggested that there were multiple endings that were written and would be shot to confuse any potential spoilers. HBO programming boss Casey Bloys also said before production that multiple endings would be filmed.
But it looks like maybe they werenât. Instead, the suggestion might have been a tricky ploy to make us think they had shot different endings so that if word of anything did leak out, we wouldnât believe it anyway.
Asked at a recent press day about multiple endings, John Bradley, who plays Sam Tarly, wouldnât rule it out but he pretty much debunked the idea.
âItâs hard to say. I just think, in a show like ours, a dayâs shooting requires so much financial expenditure and so many man hours and everything,â he said.
âThat you would waste (those resources on shooting a fake ending), seems like a bit of a sacrilegious waste of all that talent.
âI know a lot of shows do do that but I donât think shows that have so much going into every single frame have the resources to do that. Weâd rather spend that money on stuff that actually goes on the screen.â
Not 100 per cent definitive, but if we had to stake a side based on Bradleyâs comments, we would say they probably didnât get around to the shooting those false endings.
Clarkeâs original comments also suggested that even the actors wouldnât know what was the real ending, but we know they already know.
Kit Harington has already told his wife and former cast mate Rose Leslie how it ends, while Sophie Turner told fiancé Joe Jonas, who then reportedly had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
LISTEN TO OUR GAME OF THRONES PODCAST WINTER IS HERE
Shooting multiple endings to throw fans off the scent occurs more commonly in reality TV finales, where it can only go so many ways â someone has to win â but itâs less used in scripted series where production costs are much higher.
Notable examples include Dallas, The Walking Dead season seven, The Simpsons (Who Killed Mr Burns?), The Sopranos, 24 and Parks and Recreation.
Game of Thronesâ final season returns on April 15 at 11am AEST on Foxtel and Foxtel Now.
Share your TV and movies obsessions | @wenleima
