Game of Thrones set the stage at the end of Season 7 for a battle that is sure to be massive. Fans have had high expectations for the upcoming big battle between the dead and living, and the latest news on it may have some thinking their high expectations were too low. It's been revealed that one episode in Season 8 is all action from beginning to end, and will highlight the big confrontation between the White Walkers and humans.
That's crazy, especially considering even the greatest of action films let heroes take a breather and fill out some story. Of course, Game of Thrones has spent hours upon hours filling in everything fans need to know about this big battle, so that may fall by the wayside as mind-blowing action sequences unfold on screen. Those who enjoyed the "Battle of the Bastards" should enjoy this, as director Miguel Sapochnik was once again tapped to capture the White Walker's siege.
Miguel Sapochnik's episode was originally said to have used 55 nightshoots, but EW reported the shoot continued at an indoor location for weeks beyond that. Part of that was the crew making sure they got the scenes right, but also the episode's complexity. Game of Thrones co-showrunner David Benioff said the episode will follow several different characters as the battle rages on. Benioff explained these bits mix things up, and why an entire episode was needed for the big showdown.
Having the largest battle doesn't sound very exciting -- it actually sounds pretty boring. Part of our challenge, and really, Miguel's challenge, is how to keep that compelling... we've been building toward this since the very beginning, it's the living against the dead, and you can't do that in a 12-minute sequence.
The in-depth sequences and the battle itself required a larger Winterfell in order to pull it off. Season 8 will show off a "towering" castle exterior, a larger courtyard than from previous seasons, and more rooms and ramparts that flow into each other. It's apparently resulted in a massive upgrade to the show's set, which may be why it's set to become a tourist attraction in the future.
We don't know exactly how this battle will play out, but it sounds as though major characters will be positioned both outside and within the castle of Winterfell when the Night King arrives. Typically enemies don't find their way inside of a castle if a battle is going well for its defenders, so it sounds like some characters may be in trouble during this exchange. That's not too surprising, as this is Game of Thrones we're talking about.
Game of Thrones Season 8 is expected to air on HBO in 2019. Keep tabs on all things happening on television before then by visiting our handy fall premiere guide.
