Not long ago, it was hinted that “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter” director Miguel Sapochnik would be returning to helm episodes of Game of Thrones season 8. Now, Entertainment Weekly has made it official: Sapochnik will come back for the show’s final season, and he won’t be alone.
Sapochnik sat out season 7 so he could shoot the pilot for Netflix’s Altered Carbon, and fans should be thrilled to hear he’s back; in addition to “Bastards” and “Winds,” Sapochnik also directed season 5’s “Hardhome.” He’s only directed four episodes of the show, and three of them have been among its best.
But how many episodes will he direct? EW is less sure — it’s heard he’ll do at least two, and possibly three!
Joining Sapochnik in the director lineup will be David Nutter, another Game of Thrones veteran who’s helmed episodes like “The Rains of Castamere” (the one with the Red Wedding), “The Dance of Dragons” (the one where Shireen is burned at the stake), and “Mother’s Mercy” (the one with Cersei’s shame walk). (Fun fact: Nutter was supposed to direct season 7’s “The Spoils of War” but had to bow out due to health problems.)
Both Sapochnik and Nutter have earned Emmys for their work on Game of Thrones. HBO is bringing back the big guns for its final season.
But neither of those guys will direct the series finale. That honor will go to Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
Surprised? I think it makes sense. These two guys have dedicated their lives to this show over the past decade, so it’s only fitting they be the ones to wrap it up. And lest we forget, they have directed episodes of the show before, including season 3’s “Walk of Punishment” and season 4’s “Two Swords.” (While only one of them is credited for each of those episodes, they shared directing duties.)
Season 8 is starting to take shape! Filming begins in October.
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