As they do every year, Entertainment Weekly has snagged the most exclusive preview of the upcoming season of Game Of Thrones.
The only difference this time around is that this particular season of the already-legendary HBO fantasy drama may arguably be the most anticipated season of television in history. At least since the final seasons of Breaking Bad and The Sopranos.
Dropped 41 days before the April 14 premiere of the eighth and final season, Entertainment Weekly spoke to the cast and crew about what fans can expect in these final six episodes, but more specifically, what exactly what into making them.
As is the case with all seasons of Game Of Thrones, there is sure to be one episode that will be the “big battle” episode of the season (however, given the stakes of these final six episodes, it’s foreseeable that more than half of them have some sort of battle), and if the stars of the show are to be believed, this one is, by far, the most brutal and intense and epic and gut-wrenching one yet.
But what else did EW’s preview reveal? Check out the five biggest takeaways below.
Warning: Potential very LIGHT spoilers for the final season of ‘Game of Thornes’ are below.
1. The big battle this season will be “The Battle of Winterfell”
The big battle that EW got a look at “chronicles the great battle of Winterfell” which sees “an uneasy collection of allies against the Night King and his arm.”
The episode is one of two from the eighth season directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who is known for helming previous heavy metal episodes such as season five’s “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards” from season six.
2. The cast called this year’s big battle “The Long Night”
Apparently so long and grueling, the cast began to refer to the filming of the Battle of Winterfell as “The Long Night.”
3. The production of Game Of Thrones had to have government-protected airspace
Game Of Thrones has become such a grandiose production that they were granted government-protected airspace during filming.
4. The final season has the show’s “funniest ever” scene
David Nutter, a director on the final season who is known for directing the infamous “Red Wedding” episode, says the final season has “the funniest sequence” that he ever shot.
Which will likely be needed as the other 95% of the final season will likely be tragedy and heartbreak.
5. It “feels like you’re watching a superhero movie”
Nutter also said that the final season feels like watching a superhero movie due to all of the major characters that appear together, most for the first time.
“There’s one scene where there’s so many [major characters] together it feels like you’re watching a superhero movie,” Nutter said.
