Newly released footage for Game of Thrones shows the aftermath of the Battle of Winterfell for the first time.
With less than two weeks to go until the eighth and final season of HBO’s fantasy drama series hits our TV screens, you’d better believe fans are getting excited for its release.
But up until now, we hadn’t been given any clues about the direction in which the Battle of Winterfell would go – much to our dismay.
But check this out:
Titled ‘Aftermath’, the footage is eerily silent, showing a frozen landscape with peoples’ possessions strewn all over the place.
The camera then pans out on Jon Snow’s sword, Longclaw, standing solitary in the ground as though it’s been either dropped in haste, or fallen during battle.
This is the biggest clue yet as to what will happen in the battle, which director Miguel Sapochnik said he took inspiration from The Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – aka one of the most epic sequences in film.
So no small feat then.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sapochnik said he studied the Battle of Helm’s Deep in depth, while also trying to find a longer battle sequence to compare GoT to – but couldn’t.
Sapochnik described how the battle to end all battles takes in more than 20 members of the main cast – each with their own perspective and narrative, and each taking part in the huge fight:
The [GoT battles] I’ve done previously were generally from Jon’s perspective. Here I’ve got 20-some cast members and everyone would like it to be their scene.
That’s complicated because I find the best battle sequences are when you have a strong point of view. I keep thinking: ‘Whose story am I telling right now?’
To be fair to him though, it looks like all his hard work might just pay off; the Thrones’ team reportedly spent a gruelling 55 days shooting their battle sequence – mostly at night – which Iain Glen (Ser Jorah Mormont), told Entertainment Weekly was ‘the most unpleasant experience’.
Yikes. Regardless though, those gruelling conditions will almost certainly make for better television. No pain no gain, right?
Season 8 of Game of Thrones will air in the US on HBO on April 14, and Sky Atlantic early morning April 15 in the UK.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).