'Game of Thrones' tries to stop leaks of series finale. Producers of the hit HBO series are reportedly filming alternate endings to the series so fans will not know who ends up on the iron. Topics Game of Thrones HBO leaks hacks WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. S8 News and Leaks Thread S8 user poll results Get leak notifications For the rewatch schedule All the talkmoots.
At long last, winter is here, and so is the conclusion to HBO's song of ice and fire. Season 8 is already blowing people's minds, and it doesn't seem like it'll be stopping anytime soon. Though the show will continue into territory as yet uncharted by George R.R. Martin's published source material, there's already a good deal of information available about what's ahead for the fantasy epic's last stand.
Thanks to the diligent fandom's set-scouting and rumor-patrolling, along with details from trailers and some pretty heavy foreshadowing, we've been able to patch together quite a few clues about what's ahead for the heroes (and villains) of Westeros. So, let's take a look at everything we've learned about Game of Thrones Season 8 so far, whether it be rumors, spoilers, or those predictions we can infer from official detail drops. Naturally, spoilers abound. For the watch.
NOTE: Last updated after Season 8, Episode 4.
Expect more Arya Stark action
Game Thrones Last Episode
Maisie Williams had Game of Thrones fans in a tizzy when she posted an image of some bloodied sneakers after filming her final scene of the series because many took it to mean she'd either finish off her kill list or be killed in the process of whatever she was doing, but she's since clarified that her last scene didn't involve anyone else. '[It was] beautiful. I ended on the perfect scene. I was alone — shocker! Arya's always bloody alone,' she explained to The Guardian.
However, Williams also assured fans that she and Needle will have plenty of screen time leading up to that point this season. 'This season was quite big for me. I had a lot more to do,' she explained. 'Mainly because there's just less characters now, so everyone's got more to do.' It's worth noting that Williams' last scene was shot in Belfast, which is known to be the site where scenes from Winterfell and the North are produced, so her time at home will probably prove to be even more eventful than it already has been. Of course, other cast members have confirmed that the last season wasn't necessarily filmed in chronological order, so it's not a sure thing that Arya will end, one way or the other, beneath the sign of the Stark sigil.
UPDATE: Since she killed the Night King in 'The Long Night' and left Winterfell in the next episode, she may not get all the way back there before the season's over. Perhaps the Night King scene was filmed last, but we'll have to wait and see.
Sansa is finally in charge
Sophie Turner also had loose lips in an interview with Digital Spy. When we first catch up with the Lady of Winterfell in Season 8, she's going to be ruling the roost at Winterfell while Jon is away. 'She's a real, true leader of Winterfell now,' Turner said, 'And that's where we first see her — as a very protective, empowered lady in charge. It's the first time you ever see her like that, and it's so amazing to see her like that — kind of owning her destiny.'
Nearly all the characters in Game of Thrones have grown exponentially from where they started in Season 1, but Sansa's transformation from the spoiled, innocent girl in the beginning to the hardened pillar of strength she's become by Season 8 is perhaps the most astonishing of all. Turner described this new version of Sansa to Digital Spy as a 'steely, strong, manipulative, intelligent, kind, young woman, and it's completely the opposite of who she was at the beginning of the series.'
Sansa will leave Winterfell for the last time
In an interview with Digital Spy, Sophie Turner mentioned that unlike her onscreen sis Maisie Williams, who wrapped shooting in Belfast, she wrapped shooting in Spain — where Dragonstone and the Dragonpit are filmed, which means that although Sansa was running Winterfell at the start of the season, she's going to wind up heading south at some point.
This news feeds into the abundance of rumors that Sansa is going to come away the ultimate winner of the Game of Thrones, possibly sitting on the Iron Throne — or the Stone Throne — as the last player standing. Some fans theorize she might wind up marrying Gendry and become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Marrying Gendry could give Sansa a more legitimate claim to the Iron Throne, since at the moment, she doesn't have a very strong one (or any at all, depending on how you look at it). Even if she doesn't sit on that uncomfortable chair, it does seem likely that she's going to wind up in a position of power and influence.
Do we know who'll kill Cersei?
Now that Jaime Lannister has gone on the run from Cersei's tyranny, could he be the key to fulfilling a long-lingering prophecy about her fate? In the show's fifth season (as in George R.R. Martin's book), we learn that as a child Cersei demanded to know her future from Maggy the Frog, and it wasn't good news. 'You'll be queen for a time, then comes another, younger, more beautiful to cast you down and take all you hold dear. The king will have 20 children, and you will have three. Gold will be their crowns, gold their shrouds.' At least half of that prophecy has already come true (poor Myrcella, poor Tommen) — and Daenerys Targaryen is working hard to fulfill the other side — but what we didn't hear from Maggy in the TV scene was probably even more important.
'And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you,' the prophecy continues in the book. The term 'valonqar' means 'little brother' in Valyrian, and technically, Cersei is the elder twin, so Jaime could fit that bill. Of course, Tyrion is also a likely candidate, considering he's already shown his willingness to kill off a family member and has a long history of animosity with his sister. Yet, there are some who believe the introduction of her pregnancy in Season 7 might leave another option. If she dies in childbirth, with a boy, it could also fulfill that prophecy.
Where To Game Of Thrones Leak Spoilers
Will Daenerys have a baby, too?
There were a lot of discussions about Daenerys' fertility — or lack thereof — in Season 7 of Game of Thrones, and since the show mostly abides by the Chekhov's Gun concept of storytelling, there has to be a reason for it. Daenerys believes the witch who cursed Khal Drogo foretold her inability to ever conceive. In the books, the witch says Khal will only be himself again 'when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east [... and] when [her] womb quickens again' to show the impossibility of it all. That section of the prophecy didn't make it into the show, but Daenerys later pointed to the witch as promising she wouldn't have children.
Game of Thrones has deviated from the text in many ways before, so there are rumors floating around the fan community that Daenerys will defy her own expectations and become pregnant in Season 8. There isn't much time left for that, but it's possible. The question that remains is if her child would be the fabled 'prince who was promised' that we've been waiting for.
The missing Mountain
Interviewed in January 2018, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays Ser Gregor 'the Mountain' Clegane, wasn't all that forthcoming with news about his plans for filming Game of Thrones Season 8. This led fans to speculate over whether this meant Björnsson wouldn't be on set for long. Will the Mountain finally fall to his brother in the long-awaited Clegane Bowl battle fans have been clamoring for? Or maybe Arya will finally manage to cross his name off her list?
When talking about his role on the upcoming season, Björnsson remained frustratingly cryptic, albeit enthusiastic — simply promising 'It is going to be awesome!' He wouldn't say anything about Clegane Bowl, either.
A new monarch joining the fold?
It might seem like all of the character pieces are already on the board by now, but there may be reason to believe that at least one new royal will join the game before it's all said and done. According to the sleuth work at Winter Is Coming, it looks like actor Toby Osmond has indicated his involvement with Game of Thrones' final season on his CV by boasting a 'great royal role in the next (and final) series of an epic network fantasy saga (airing Spring 2019).' He might not have named the show outright, but the description is certainly detailed enough to discern.
Coupling that with the fact that he was spotted hanging out with certain cast members and crew near the Seville set of the show (that is, the Dragonpit epicenter), his involvement seems likely. As for who he'll portray in the scene? Well, rumor has it there are two new characters that are expected to be introduced — a man wearing golden armor and another mystery man. The former could be that representative of the Golden Company Cersei sent Euron Greyjoy for in Season 7, but that role went to Marc Rissmann. Some suspect Osmond may instead be playing the new King of Dorne following the Martells' demise, but others believe he may play Euron's personal nemesis from the books: his younger brother Victarion Greyjoy, who has a terrible score to settle with the swashbuckler.
Is Tyrion headed for an unhappy ending?
Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) has been all over the map, quite literally, throughout Game of Thrones, and even at the end of Season 7 it was hard to know where his true allegiance lay. As Hand of the Queen for Daenerys Targaryen, he seemed sure he wanted to see the more merciful monarch ascend the throne in his sister's place, but he wavered when he found out about Cersei's pregnancy. Four-sixths of the way through Season 8, it's still hard to know. Episode 4 ended on a heck of a note for Tyrion as he and Varys discussed whether the Dragon Queen was really fit to rule the realm.
'He certainly developed a deeper sense of responsibility over the course of the show. He was a pretty irresponsible character to begin with. He used his position as the outcast of his family like an adolescent would. He pushed it in their [the Lannisters'] faces. The beauty of Tyrion is that he grew out of that mode in a couple of seasons and developed a strong sense of responsibility,' Dinklage explained to Vulture of his character's development. Whether that means he'll jump ship yet again is still unknown, but Dinklage did leave open the possibility that he'll pay the ultimate price for whatever decision he makes in the final season. 'I feel very, very — I'm trying to find the right word. I think he was given a very good conclusion. No matter what that is — death can be a great way out,' he said of the character's ultimate ending.
The main cast will reconvene at the Dragonpit
Get ready to spend more time in the ancestral home of Balerion the Dread: Rumor has it that the major players will all be meeting once again in the Dragonpit in Season 8 — and for much longer this time, too. Watchers on the Wall reports that filming at the Roman ruins of Itálica in Seville, Spain (aka the Dragonpit) were scheduled from April 23 to May 19, 2018. That's nearly four weeks, which is quadruple the time spent filming there for Season 7. Whether the scene is long or just more action-packed, get ready for it to be substantially bigger and better than last time.
What's more, there were no additional casting calls for extras, which means it's probably safe to assume that this particular scene will once again feature only the main characters we already know. And if Sophie Turner's talk of filming in Spain is a clue, then maybe Sansa will get to say her piece at the Dragonpit, too.
King's Landing is getting torched
A Twitter user snapped some pics at the Red Keep set at King's Landing, capturing the Lannister banners flying high despite the fact that the top of the Keep looked like it had been cooked to a crisp. Based on even more photos posted by Watchers on the Wall, the top of the city is clearly charred, and cranes are visible all around for getting plenty of aerial shots of the destruction. After all this time, it looks like King's Landing may have finally fallen.
Does this really come as a shock? With Cersei stubbornly refusing to bend the knee, or even just bend a little, it kind of seemed like Daenerys would have no choice but to come for her with all that fire and blood. Dany has been warned (several times!) against harming all the innocent people of King's Landing, but maybe Mad Queen Dany just won't care after the death of Missandei. Either way, the city is getting burned.
A lot of people are going to die
Get ready to say goodbye to at least some of your favorites. Season 7 may have been kind of light when it came to the shocking murders (no offense, Baelish and Viserion), but it sounds like the show's creators held nothing back when it came to the last hurrah.
In an interview with theHollywood Reporter, HBO senior VP Francesca Orsi explained that the final moments of Game of Thrones are going to spell doom for multiple characters. Talking about the final table read with the entire cast, she called it 'a really powerful moment in our lives and our careers' and added, 'None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started to fall down to their deaths. By the end, the last few words on the final script, the tears just started falling down. Then there was applause that lasted 15 minutes.'
Well, they did warn us that when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Mostly, you die.
The list of survivors will surprise fans
Entertainment Weekly's set visit report from the site of the final season also revealed that the call sheet had a few surprising names on it for production on the very last scene. The journalist reported seeing 'characters in the finale [he] did not expect' on a set that had 'never [been] seen on the show before.'
While the names of those who have made it to the bitter end by this account have yet to be revealed, it sounds like Kit Harington will be around. He's mentioned as part of the last episode's table read and admits to crying when he got to the last page. 'The second time [I cried] was the very end,' the actor told the magazine. 'Every season, you read at the end of the last script 'End of Season 1,' or 'End of Season 2.' This read 'End of Game of Thrones.' Will the King in the North outlast everyone else?
The final scene will probably be at King's Landing
Rumors from the tabloid mill (The Dubrovnik Times, as reported by the Daily Express) indicate that the last scene of the entire series may very well take place at King's Landing. According to the Express, the scene would have been shot in January 2018. Tents in the old town of Dubrovnik are a big sign that something was being shot at King's Landing with most of the main cast. Interestingly, no additional extras were called beyond the main cast members, which is perhaps what caused sources to speculate that it was in fact the final scene.
Nothing is official, of course, but wouldn't King's Landing — the infamous home of the Iron Throne — be a fitting location to end the series all about the fight for said seat of power? Plus, the news that multiple main cast members were present is a good indication that they probably don't all die.
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