Filming for this season of Game of Thrones is drawing to a close: Though part of the cast may continue for a few weeks in Belfast, some are already done with season seven. And Emilia Clarke hasn’t been shy about it! It’s a wrap for the mother of dragons.
Emilia Clarke used her Instagram to celebrate the end of her season seven filming:
#itakemyjobseriouslyiSWEAR…
With the help of an I Believe I Can Fly lip sync, Clarke announces tomorrow will be a wrap for Daenerys Targaryen and assures us season seven is “gonna be a mind blower.” It’s not clear how much of the cast —if any— will continue shooting throughout February, but as of a few days ago Titanic Studios was still brimming with activity, and cast members, such as Kristofer Hivju, have been sighted in Belfast as late as yesterday:
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We’ll have to wait and see whether Game of Thrones will use up all of this month for any remaining filming, or if perhaps the whole production is wrapping up alongside Clarke. Until we know more, we could wonder if Clarke’s choice for a celebratory song is more than an expression of her feelings. “I Believe I Can Fly”? Indeed, she can very much fly… with the help of some fancy post-production and the big dragon buck we reported on a few days ago. Emilia Clarke wasn’t spotted on the day, but now we know she filmed today and will do so again tomorrow, which strengthens our theory that she has been shooting dragon riding scenes for Daenerys’ incoming fight against her enemies.
HODOR
Hold The Dragon Pit Door!
Valahd!
She’s so beautiful. I love her eyebrows.
Teasers often come after filming has ended, right?
I would be patient. We never get a trailer with any footage until a few months before the premiere. That’s usually in February… But not this year. If they follow the same pattern, we should get a trailer in April or so. But hey, I would be pleasantly surprised if we got a trailer in the usual time frame!
Could she be more gorgeous?
Emilia remains lovely and adorable. It’s more or less her perpetual state of existence.
I expect that most of the main cast members are done filming or close to it, and a lot of what’s happening now are small indoor scenes and supplemental shots for the VFX team to work with. Granted, Emilia has to jump into filming the Han Solo movie almost immediately, so perhaps they’re doing her the courtesy of completing her remaining scenes ASAP so that she can make the short flight over to Pinewood Studios, and perhaps even have a day or two off before she has to start shooting another major project.
Either way, the end of principal photography is drawing near. We may start hearing about a wrap party of some kind in the next week or so.
Luka Nieto,
Haven’t we gotten a decent teaser trailer in the timeframe of January previously? So maybe we will get something late March?
Last year we got the 3 House teasers in January. That was the first official promo material besides the 3 eyed raven one in November.
Jack Bauer 24,
No real footage, of course. Well, some real dialogue, that is true. We may get something like that this month or the next, but that’s not really a trailer.
Imagine getting a chance to take a pic with a Thrones actor and having it turn out that out of focus.
I imagine they will put the season 7 teaser in front of something they are trying to promote. Like THE LEFTOVERS final season premiere. But they could also drop it tomorrow… who knows with HBO?
True. We did get the 3 eyed raven teaser while filming was still going on. No new footage, but at least it was something. Filming is almost over and we haven’t gotten anything yet.
All this talk of teasers, but when do you think we’ll get the official premiere date?
The Leftovers final season premieres in April, so i could definitely see them doing something like the Hall of Faces teaser they did last year after the Westworld premiere.
Based on Liam Cunningham’s Instagram, it looks like he’s done too. Can’t be very many actors left shooting in Belfast.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we got either a teaser trailer or a teaser poster this month, but as others have said, I wouldn’t expect that teaser to contain any new footage. Perhaps some new dialogue overlaying old footage or an evocative series of images, much like we saw last year.
Season 6’s promotional schedule for comparison.
Late November (Five months away from the eventual S6 premiere): The teaser poster of a bloody Jon Snow. That was unusually early, but also had the effect of stoking the hype for Jon’s return given the atypically monumental cliffhanger that Season 5 had ended on.
Early December: The first teaser trailer with Jon, Bran, and the Three-Eyed Raven (“The past is already written. The ink is dry.”). That contained new dialogue, but no new footage.
Early December: The HBO yearender video, with a few brief shots from Season 6 (first official footage).
Early January: The reveal of the April 24th premiere date for Season 6.
Late January: The Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen banner teasers narrated by their enemies (Ramsay, the High Sparrow, and Khal Moro). Once again, new dialogue, no new footage.
Mid-February – a little more than two months before the April 24th premiere date: The Hall of Faces teaser. No new dialogue or footage (I remember that people were pretty frustrated with this one, because it was announced beforehand, and had seemed like the first realistic possibility for new footage).
Late February: The official series of Hall of Faces posters (and the annual tradition of complaining about how underwhelming the official poster is). 😉
Early March (a month and half before the premiere): The first official full-length Season 6 trailer.
Mid-March: A “March Madness” TV spot with new footage, airing during the NCAA Tournament.
Early April (Two weeks before the premiere): The second and final full-length Season 6 trailer.
Late April (Days before the premiere): The second TV spot.
So far we have nothing but HBO’s yearender video, but of course everything’s been delayed by around two months. So perhaps a teaser (with no new footage) in February, the reveal of the premiere date sometime in March, and the first full-length trailer containing new footage in late April or early May?
I am absolutely in love with her, she’s just a wonderful human being, everyone who works with her speak highly of her work ethic and how humble she is, always positive, always smiling. She’s a breath of fresh air.
This role put such tremendous weight on her shoulders and yet she carries it so lightly, always humble and hard working.
Emilia is an anomaly, it still surprises me that she doesn’t know how good she is and the impact she has on people.
I know it’s a tall order but I hope with all my heart that in the end, Dany will find happiness, a home and a family like she’s always wanted.
Jared,
I wish they would at least release a teaser poster soon.
Sōvētēs!
Well, let’s be frank: with all the leaked of scenes we had during the filming we shouldn’t complain that there is no trailer yet. We have already got a lot of new footage. However, I wouldn’t mind to get more ASAP.
Ines,
No.
Irina Stark,
I agree with every word of this…Emilia is such a delight. Definitely one of my few favourite celebrities. Precious little ball of sunshine!
ghost of winterfell,
I wonder if the leaks are actually the reason why they’ve been postposing teasers and trailers.
Jared,
Do you know when HBO started releasing official photos from S6 last year? Seems like it was prior to year end?
Flayed Potatoes,
Don’t think leaks would have hindered that too much. How many people actually read those leaks out of all the shows fans? I don’t think it was many (although I am probably wrong).
Do we actually know what month the show is back yet? If we go off normal filming then it should be July – I would expect a first tease sometime next month, with maybe a first trailer with the Leftovers.
sexystannis,
That’s exactly it: she’s a little ball of sunshine ☀️
Love her ❤️
Flayed Potatoes,
I doubt it. I might be wrong, but I would guess not even 10% of the audience are aware of the leaks. None of the people I know have read them.
An official teaser poster or a teaser video would generate hype among a much larger base.
Cersei’s Brain,
The very first official photo from Season 6 was released via Entertainment Weekly on December 28, 2015. It was Bran on a horse, from what we would later learn was the season finale. That was far earlier then usual – HBO was trying to reintroduce Bran to the viewers, since he had taken S5 off. http://ew.com/article/2015/12/28/game-thrones-bran-stark-season-6-2/
The first major batch of official S6 photos released directly by HBO arrived on February 11, 2016. http://watchersonthewall.com/20-new-official-game-of-thrones-photos-released-from-season-6/
I’d say that 73 days seems pretty early … but Google tells me that we also got a large batch of S5 photos on January 30, 2015 – 72 days before Season 5 premiered on April 12th. http://watchersonthewall.com/18-new-official-game-thrones-photos-released-season-5/
So, if form holds, and S7 is likely going to premiere in late June/early July, perhaps we can start looking for the first large batch of photos around mid-April?
Jack Sharpe, someone claims June 25
Rygritte,
Might be as soon as the Leftovers ends then Thrones comes back.
Rygritte,
The rumor was that filming would continue through to the end of February, but perhaps they are ahead of schedule. Is it possible that D&D are pushing for a premier by the end of May?
Crater, I doubt it.
I just looked at the calendar. The 25th is a week after Father’s Day. I can’t wait for the trolling, I mean, promotion.
Irina Stark,
Yup. Emilia Clarke is always so witty and charming in real life. It almost makes you wonder how she can deliver such serious lines like “I will take what is mine by fire and blood” with a straight face. She truly is a ray of sunshine. Probably blessed with an over abundance of serotonin and endorphins.
If you’re interested, I thought she was wonderful in a supporting role in a weird black comedy/drama, “Dom Hemingway” (2013), starring Jude Law. She played his daughter. If I recall, I think she sings in it too.
Richard E. Grant (the Braavos theater troupe head, and faux Tywin and King Robert actor) was also in Dom Hemingway. No surprise that Nina Gold was casting didector.
Rygritte,
Thought they might want to make the cutoff for the Emmy’s.
I hate they’re gonna skip a year… Maggie Smith looks like she might be out of the running this year, at last.
Jared,
Thanks Jared…I’m hoping we might get some photos around the end of March but guess that would be early.
Speaking of spoilers… Has anyone captured any images of Daenerys in armor?
If she takes Drogon into battle, she should be armored, right?
Ten Bears,
I saw every single one of her movies, she actually acted alongside a friend of mine in Dom Hemingway, a Romanian named Madalina Ghenea. I saw Me Before You as well and I am absolutely stoked to see Above Suspicion and even more excited about Voice from the Stone. The teaser trailer is so intense and her acting abilities have improved so much. I can’t wait to see her in a thriller/mystery genre ! All my college classmates and I are going, we’re all huge fans of her work ! I absolutely adore her !
sexystannis,
I hope she shines forever, she’s beautiful on the outside but on the inside she is radiant, she gives out the most incredible energy, just like you said, a sun ☀️. People like that are so rare, they need to be valued. She deserves all the success in the world ! Whatever movie she’ll be in, I’m buying a ticket !
Love Emilia, we’ve been blessed to have such a ray of sunshine on the GOT cast
Looking forward to seeing her two new movies this year, such different roles for her. Absolutely loved “Me Before You” even though it was depressing as hell, hope she does romantic comedy again she’s great at it.
Emilia is one of those rare birds who seems to just radiate joy. As I personally radiate sarcasm, I like that she makes me smile.
I think they are done. Apparently kit left Belfast today. Emilia finishes up tomorrow. I believe they and few others were the only actors still filming.
Irina Stark, I’m excited to see her play a druggie.
ghost of winterfell,
I haven’t read the leaks and don’t what to. It’s unfair that even casual fans may unwillingly be contaminated by them since they’ve infested the Internet.
I hope the showrunners don’t delay – or rush – anything because it happened.
I’m kind of surprised they haven’t identified the scoundrel. I thought producers and scriptwriters use a variation of the technique Tyrion used to ferret out Pycelle as the one who was leaking to Cersei information Tyrion had imparted in confidence, by relating slightly different versions of his Myrcella betrothal plans to Varys, Pycelle, and Littlefinger – and then seeing which version made its way to Cersei.
I understood that scriptwriters and producers distribute many different, slightly altered versions of scripts before actual filming so that if they’re leaked they can identify the source.
I hope that the dirtbag who stole and disseminated the contents of S7’s scripts is publicly identified and vilified like Steven Bartman (who didn’t even deserve the public roasting he was subjected to.)
For those of you who don’t remember, Steve Bartman was the Chicago Cubs fan who attended a playoff game against the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field several years ago. He had a seat in the stands right behind the railing on the third base side of the field. A pop fly foul ball came headed in his direction, so like any fan would he reached up and tried to catch it as a souvenir. Unfortunately, a Cubs’ infielder was reaching over the railing and trying to catch the ball too.
Bartman’s hand got in the way and prevented the Cubs infielder from making the catch. At the time, the Cubs had a comfortable lead in the game and were about two innings away from winning. Instead of flying out on the foul ball, the Marlins batter stayed alive, and the inning continued. The batter got a hit, the Cubs made a couple of fielding errors, and then the floodgates opened: the Marlins came back to win the game, win the playoff series against the Cubs, and went on to win the World Series.
Poor Steve Bartman, a lifelong die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, was blamed for the loss and became the most hated man in Chicago. He was stalked, harassed, threatened and ostracized. Eventually, it got so bad he had to move away and live under an assumed name. And all he did was what every other fan in the stands has done in every ballpark since the inception of the game; he had no intention of messing things up for his beloved Cubs.
But the S7 leaker malevolently and deliberately stole scripts and broadcast the contents on the Internet, knowing full well it would ruin the drama and excitement of watching S7 for countless fans.
There were some “curious” fans who eagerly clicked on the “leaks”, but the virtually instantaneous frenzy of websites reporting on the “leaks” polluted the Internet.
So while only a small fraction of fans have read “the leaks”, many were exposed to them unwillingly.
Whatever the leaker’s motives, he parasitized the creativity of GRRM, the producers and writers, and exploited the excitement their show has generated for his own selfish reasons.
He deserves to be publicly identified and shunned the way Steve Bartman was (who didn’t deserve it.)
Distribe over.
So when will the Facebook and other type promos start?
Something has got to be coming very shortly right?
Ten Bears,
Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out the leaks came from GRRM and that he did it out of spite that the show passed the books?
In that way, we still got his version first.
King in the Southwest,
Get real,Gurm has no access to the scripts anymore since he hasn’t been writing since season 4 and even the thought of him going online and leaking stuff is just stupid,he’s a 68 years old man ffs.not some edgy teenager or young adult primadonna .
King in the Southwest,
Well, that sure would be funny if the leaks came from GRRM out of spite that the show passed the books — but it’s not as if they were both racing furiously to get to a finish line first, and he was edged out by a nose.
I truly believe – and I really don’t blame him for it – that he’s lost the desire to write the books. He shouldn’t have to. He’s 68, and has been writing for a half century. It’s got to feel like an awful grind now, especially since the show, by necessity, has started giving away the big reveals. I get the impression he’d rather do anything and everything except finish ASOIAF. Releasing chapters he wrote many years ago (and I really liked “Mercy”), kind of shows he’s not into writing new ones.
Realistically, even if TWOW came out tomorrow, it would be humanly impossible for him to finish the next book before S& of the show concludes in 2018. In a way, he’s now writing an adaptation of the show, rather than the other way around. That cannot be fun.
I’d say let him off the hook and let him hang out and watch Jets games –and write a few S8 scripts. Forget the books. It’s no longer a labor of love for him. It’s more like a dreaded term paper that’s already overdue.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if we had to choose between the existing books with 73 hours of GoT, or the completed books sometime by 2020 but no show at all, which one would you choose ?
leak
After a
Daenerys be like: ”I believe i can fly…”
George Martin based his fantasy Game of Thrones on real history of England but was probably also inspired by German mythology specifically this one featured in this movie:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Kingdom:_The_Dragon_King
So, if you haven’t seen that almost 4 hour movie, you will love it, because it is like Game of Thrones, but more heroic movie. The interesting thing about that Nibelungen mythology is that it ends bittersweet.
King in the Southwest,
GRRM doesn’t even see the scripts anymore. And besides that why in gods name would he do that? I know some like to see GRRM as this old, bitter, curmudgeon who is angry at the show but there has never been anything even remotely pointing to evidence of this. He’s done nothing but go out of his way to praise the show and praise the job Benoff and Weiss have done.
Now it is clear though this is someone that is trusted on the inside who leaked them. That’s a problem for the final season that they need to sort out. It could be a problem for HBO too if it’s a worker that then moves on to another HBO production when the series is finished.
DanyJon,
The more time spent on that D&J scene the better. 😉
Mirror it to the BotB moments… Daenerys teases Jon with something appealing. Jon rushes in and realizes he’s gone too far too fast. No turning back though so he rushes onward only to see she’s coming real fast right back at him. It gets rough with their bodies slamming into each other. Eventually Jon is in the action so deep that he can’t breathe, but he fights his way above it… Then the “horns” blow and there’s a wave of joy….. … 🙂
DanyJon,
God damn it! NO LEAKS TALK! Especially without spoilefr coding !!!
And what on earth are you talking about that
“[t]he leaks are needed for screenwriters to gauge audience, production needs feedback in order to determine which scenes to focus on thoroughly. They need clues from fans.”
Are you f–cking serious ? Do you honestly think the stolen scripts and plot leaks are some sort of planned, mass focus group process that’s “needed” to tweek the scripts?
Do you really think they scour the Internet because they “need clues from fans”?
I can’t believe you would throw in an uncovered spoiler amidst the ridiculous notion that:
“For example, now when they know fans are hyped about [your stupid leak redacted], production will spend more on that scene.”
Wait – “DanyJon”… Are you that same clown from that “Reddit free folk” leakers brigade from a few days ago, now using a different screen name? Another inane attempt to justify the illegal “leaks”?
NO LEAKS TALK!!!!! And if you really can’t help yourself, cover your nonsense with spoiler coding !!! AND if what you’re stating is total lunacy, don’t post it to begin with !!!
Unfu–ingbelievable.
Rant NOT over.
DanyJon,
Um… what!? Nothing I wrote was bigotry and it was just having a little fun. If you’re offended by that simple little post than you must have a lot of trouble conversing with others on the internet.
Seriously… did you reply to the wrong person? What I wrote doesn’t even relate to anything deserving of being called a bigot. ??
Clob,
Did I miss a logical step somewhere between your comment and the reply?
I was following along the cheeky BoB parallels and thought there’d be an allusion to the phalanx of Bolton soldiers encircling Jon and constricting like a sphincter…
… And then the discussion veered off to a bigot, a CNN reporter, and “The President Donald Trump. ”
What’d I miss?
Can someone please explain to me the moral/ethical difference between leaking some supposed script material and taking a bunch of paparazzi-style photos of the characters on set?
I really don’t think the producers are fond of either one.
I’m not sure any of us can plant a flag on the moral high ground here…
Your guess is as good as mine. I’m confused since there wasn’t any apparent relation between my comment and the response. ??
Clob, I’m expecting this:
Jon slid his arms around her.
“Oh,” was all Dany had time to say as he pulled her close and pressed his lips down on hers. He smelled of salt and smoke. His man bun is greasy, she thought, but his mouth is sweet. He should not be doing this. I am his queen, not his woman.
It was a long kiss. When it ended, Jon let go of her, and she took a quick step backward. “You… you should not have…”
“I should not have waited so long,” he finished for her. “I should have kissed you in Dragonstone. I should have kissed you in the red waste, every night and every day. “I… that was not fitting. I am your queen.”
“My queen,” he said, “and the bravest, sweetest, and most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Dany –
“Your Grace!”
“Your Grace,” he conceded.
There is a season 7 GOT promo on YouTube and it is absolutely amazing!
DanyJon,
Do something for me… go back up and look at who and what you responded to. You keep naming me for writing something that I believe someone else did… I didn’t rant about anything…
Crater,
I hope you didn’t just compare leaking a whole season’s plotline to some low quality paparazzi photos from filming because that’s just insane . Sure both of them are bad in the producers eyes but there’s a clear difference between just speculating what those photos are and where they fit in the story and just spoiling the whole story of the season from start to finish .
Clob,
I believe the gentleman either has some issues or is just trolling,just ignore him!
dothrakian raven,
Link please ?
Edit:Ugh,nevermind
dothrakian raven,
Oh embarrassing! Fan made… Sorry
Gustav Rodriguez,
Sorry it is fan made. I just got so excited that I didn’t check the details. Damn so well made, I have to admit…
Crater,
I don’t doubt that producers are not fans of either. The thing is though you always get pictures of any outdoor scene of any decently popular show.
The difference about actual script leaks however is different because just seeing pics doesn’t really give us any idea of what the actual storyline is only certain characters being in a scene, the biggest issue is however that this person who leaked the script works on the crew and everyone who works on GOT has to sign a non-disclosure agreement not to reveal anything so that means that this person leaking the script did something illegal which is in a completely different league than fans taking pictures.
Mel,
Mel:
You are absolutely right. Big distinction. Stealing the scripts, using them to write (what I assume is) a point by point plot synopsis of the entire season, and disseminating it on the Internet, is a crime. Ethically and morally, it’s the most reprehensible offense to creativity and artistry: taking and using someone else’s intellectual product and exploiting it for your own selfish purposes. The showrunners and scriptwriters did the hard work that created the anticipation and excitement for S7, and the eagerness of true fans to experience the episodes the way the showrunners and actors present them. The leaker and his coconspirators stole all that too.
Photographs of outdoor sets are in the public domain. More important, the real value of a dramatic presentation is in the words and context. In fact, the actors themselves regularly “tweet” and post Instagram pictures of themselves in filming locations, and take pictures with fans. So placing certain characters together on specific filming locations is neither immoral nor unlawful.
I always detest false moral equivalence. “Well, you were driving 10 mph over the speed limit, so it’s okay for me to run over your grandma.”
Gustav Rodriguez,
Right you are.
And here’s an “in-show” hypothetical illustration from last year; I was tickled to see photographs of Essie Davis in costume walking down the street in the Braavos filming location. I could speculate from her wig and dress that she might be playing Cersei in the theater group performance, but nothing of substance. The news value was that s talented actress would be joining the cast. That’d be entirely different from a thief stealing the GoT scripts and revealing every detail of Arya’s interactions with Lady Crane.
And to take it a step further: even if a “paparazzo” took photographs of the theater troupe’s play, it would essentially show a reenactment of King Robert’s goring, Ned’s beheading, the Purple Wedding, and Tyrion’s cross-bow killing of Tywin – with the same participants that were present in the “real” events (but with cheesy props and scenery).
It is only with the actual dialogue and acting that it would become clear that the play was a complete inversion of the heroes and villains, and played out some scenes for comic effect. (Joffrey became an angelic Prince, Cersei a heartbroken mother, and Ned a doofus).
And no amount of photographs would give any indication that the significant events were occurring backstage, i.e. Arya preparing for, and then aborting the hit on Lady Crane. A stolen script and leaked details (like those of the malevolent S7 leaker and his jackass Reddit accomplices) would have spoiled all of the Arya-Lady Crane story.
Oh, one last example, before S5, a production photo showed what looked like some longboats close to shore and some people splashing around heading towards the boats. Now, nobody can tell me that this gave away any of the awesomeness that would be “Hardhome,” But if the leaker and his cronies had filched the S5E8 script and divulged its contents, the gripping final 20 minutes would’ve been a boring checklist of action set pieces.
The leaks are a crime against the fandom, the producers including GRRM, the writers, the directors and the actors.
Clob,
Clob:
As far as I know, a “bigot” is someone who is intolerant of people of different races or religions. Nothing you (or I) wrote had anything to do with race or religion, and I don’t think we have any clue about that guy’s race or religion.
Do you think he’s a “troll.” I take it that a “troll” is someone who posts utter nonsense with the intent to incite rational people to waste their time refuting it? Where I come from, a “troll” was a miniature goblin-like creature with vertically spiked hair.
I was going to ask him if in his “leaks are needed” alternate reality, the New England Patriots have leaked their game plan for tomorrow’s Siper Bowl because leaks are necessary; Coach Belichick needs feedback from fans in order to determine which plays to focus on thoroughly; the coaching staff needs clues from fans. For example, now when they know fans are hyped about the running back lateraling cross-field to Brady for a bomb, the Patriots’ pre-game practices will spend more time on that play.
So playbook leaks are a necessary in football too, right DJ?
Sorry to post this here
Fabian Wagner wins for Game of Thrones: Battle of the Bastards for the ASC!!!!!!
2016 American Society of Cinematographers Awards
Yeah I’ve been following on twitter, so happy they won! Waiting on the DGA announcement. Should be coming in soon.
Edit: Miguel won!
Winner TV Drama Series: Miguel Sapochnik ‘Game of Thrones’ – “The Battle of the Bastards”
HELL YES!!!!!!
we might have lost the producers guild award, but to still have the directors guild award 🙂 hope we can pick up writing for one of these seasons ^^
We got writing last year for Mother’s Mercy 🙂
Jack Bauer 24,
I think the writing award went to better call Saul at the writers guild award 🙂 but we did get both emmys two years straight for writing:)
Yeah you’re right. I was thinking of the PGA’s.
You all took my comment about GRRM leaking the plot too seriously. It was a joke that I never considered as an actual possibility.
Only an interesting “what if” was ever meant by me.
Though I must say most of your counter arguments were nonsensical themselves. A 68 year old man being above spite is no guarantee and he did read the scripts because he’s an executive producer.
Ten Bears,
There is no choice, we have what we have. 5 books with a sixth being written and 60 episodes with 7 more being produced.
I’ve seen very little praise since the show passed the books. He’s mainly silent about the entire subject now. He does still praise the actors and directors, though.
Anyway, I’ve certainly learned my lesson about (attempted) humor on this forum.
Mel,
Was the script actually leaked? Given the passionate contempt that’s being spat out here, you’d think there were photocopies of the shooting scripts being circulated. Turns out, as far as I can tell, this all boils down to some anonymous troll on Reddit claiming to have knowledge that cannot be verified and posting synopses of each episode that amount to no more than fan fiction. Now, of course, it’s all disappeared, like the three dead aliens from the Roswell crash.
I think we could all use some perspective here, and certainly a higher level of civility. I am amazed at the venomous response to what may be nothing more than “fake news”.
Ten Bears,
I just googled “game of thrones season 7 leak”.
The big news… A leak of the concept art from the last episode. You should warn them about their false equivalencies…
Crater,
The script itself was not leaked (well, depending on who you ask), but a poster on reddit posted enough details from it (or some draft of it) to map out the entire season. While it still remains to be seen how much of their information plays out as described, most of the major developments have been verified by every single set pic and article posted here. The leak itself is legitimate beyond a reasonable doubt, but the overreactions to it are largely due to lack of context and knee jerk tendencies to reject anything that doesn’t match one’s own headcanon. I’m not interested in moralizing it, but if you want to avoid spoiling most of the major twists of Season 7 for yourself, I’d stop digging now.
There were. Some called into question their authenticity as they always do.
elybe,
Personally, I’m pretty indifferent to spoilers or leaks. I’m not seeking them out, but my head doesn’t explode if I happen to see one either. My only contention has been that there should be no room for profanity or character assassination in a forum like this. Whatever sins are being committed here, none of us have the right to throw stones.
Boy,I´m soooo bored 🙁 no trailers,a shorter season,no books and who knows when the next one is coming out
Crater,
No argument there. When a television show (or its associated fandom) is capable of eliciting the levels of distress and hostility I’ve been seeing, I reckon that’s usually a good sign that it’s time to take a step back. Maybe things will lighten up a bit once there’s actual news to discuss.
In my mind I’m expecting a teaser trailer towards the end of this month, the full trailer towards end of April and season 7 to begin end of May or some time in June, finishing before end of July as we know they will start the filming for S8 in September.
King in the Southwest,
Just to be clear: I was not saying we have an actual “choice” between having (a) the existing books and 73 TV episodes; or (b) only the books (completed at some future date) but no TV show at all.
It was posed as a hypothetical to put some perspective on the impatience for the next book (TWOW) and the increasing likelihood that we may never see the final book (ADOS).
It was my way of trying to look at the situation from a “glass half-full” perspective, i.e. to be grateful for what we have. I for one would choose hypothetical Option (a).
Also, I’m not being a pessimist when I say that I doubt we will ever see the completion of the book series. I just sense that GRRM no longer has the desire, the need, or the creative “muse” to write the books. And I don’t blame him.
Crater,
I have not read “the leaks” and do not want to be exposed to them. However, I have gleaned from interviews (eg Maisie Williams), the chronology of events, and other evidence is that:
1. The “leaks” are not circulated copies of the S7 scripts themselves; however
2. Someone with access to the actual scripts stole them, read them, and wrote out a detailed description of the plots of each episode, including what happens to the characters.
I am guessing the thief returned the scripts from wherever he or she stole them from after extracting all of their contents.
3. The leaker then took all of this “information” to accomplices on a subReddit (FreeFolk), and they “organized”it and posted it online.
4. It is not “fanfiction” in the usual sense of avid readers or viewers inventing their own preferred future story lines for the author’s characters. (Lots of “fan fiction” invents romances and “storybook ending” for the fan’s favorite characters.)
5. I WISH “the leaks” were only fan fiction. They may not be verbatim copies of scripts, but at the very least they are detailed summaries created and disseminated with an emphasis on revealing the resolutions and dramatic twists and turns the showrunners and writers devised.
Without infecting myself with “the leaks” , I can’t know how detailed “the leaks”, and I do NOT want to know. Also, I do NOT want what I wrote to be construed as an invitation or excuse to disseminate or discuss “the leaks” here.
Crater,
Have we really reached that low that we are starting to quote Trump ? Also like others before me said,it’s nothing false about the leaks,everyone though they were at first but after some time as the production details and the scoops from WotW started to match them one by one there was no point in denying them .
elybe,
While your description of the source and form of “the leaks” coincides with my understanding, I respectfully disagree with your assessment that “overreactions” are ” largely due to lack of context and knee jerk tendencies to reject anything that doesn’t match one’s own head canon.”
Negative reactions and my own condemnations are largely due to the desire to experience S7 when and in the way the show-runners intend, without having the experience ruined in advance by exposure to some thieving moron’s disclosure of the contents of the scripts.
Ripping off and disseminating someone else’s creative work product is just wrong. Just because it’s posted on the Internet doesn’t make it right. It makes it worse.
PS I do not have my own “head canon.” The only “canon” there is consists of the 60 episodes created by the producers, including GRRM.
Let me apologize in advance if I misconstrued what you wrote. Perhaps the “overreactions” you describe were intended to refer only to the small subpopulation which has embraced “the leaks” but is unhappy with the future plot developments they divulge.
Apology accepted! I was indeed referring to the reactions of a subset of fans to the information contained within the leaks with that statement, not to your reaction to the information being leaked in the first place. I don’t know if the individual I was replying to had your comments in mind, but ever since October, most new articles draw at least one r/whiner adopting multiple screen names to post the same diatribe about the leaks over and over again, so I just automatically assume people talking about “overreactions” are referring to that lot.
Crater,
Allow me to clarify:
1. I understand and respect that like some commenters, you are “pretty indifferent to leaks and spoilers”; and while you do not actively seek them out, you’re not overly upset by them.
With one exception, nothing I’ve written is directed at any other commenter. We may philosophically disagree on the propriety of accessing the illicitly obtained and posted “leaks” once they’ve entered the public domain, but I do not presume to judge anyone who has a different view than mine.
2. My condemnation is principally reserved for, and deserved by, whoever stole the scripts and extracted their contents, and his/her subReddit accomplices who posted them online.
3. HOWEVER, there is no excuse for anyone to post uncovered comments detailing “the leaks.” The moderators have emphasized this over and over again.
Just as in the past (before the show “passed” the books), when show-only commenters could freely discuss the show without fear of book readers spoiling future plot developments, community members should be able to discuss and theorize based on the actual aired episodes, without intrusion by those who want to talk about the S7 “leaks.” It shouldn’t be that difficult for the two subpopulations – the leaks-averse and the leak-embracers – to respect each other’s wishes, and abide by the site’s leak avoidance/text covering policies.
4. Especially when it comes to innocuous posts having no possible connection with “the leaks” or any future plot lines, there’s no possible justification for anyone to inject “the leaks.”
For example, the instant post is entitled “Emilia Clarke Wraps Season 7 Filming and Other Actors Continue Filming in Belfast.” The contents included an Instagram photo from Emilia celebrating the end of her S7 filming.
So, neither I nor anyone else had any reason to anticipate that someone would just throw in a detailed description from “the leaks” of a scene involving a significant interaction between two characters. It had nothing to do with the topic of the post or any of the comments under it (most of which extolled Emilia’s sunny disposition and complimented her movie performances). Nothing in the post itself or the comments contained any “leak” or “spoilers.” (I would note that even as to insubstantial, in aptly termed “spoilers” like filming locations, actor sightings, and casting, WoW posts are accompanied by red-highlighted bold-faced warnings tucked “under the cut” so those who wish to avoid them can do so. )
5. “The leaks” have already alienated a significant segment of the community, including many long-time commenters whose analysis I’ve enjoyed. They are now staying away in an abundance of caution, due to inadvertent or deliberate injections of “the leaks.” Consequently, while some of us may be indifferent to “the leaks”, there are many who can no longer safely participate in the community.
6. I’ve already explained elsewhere that with 60 out of 73 hours of the show already aired, and in the showrunners’ and cast’s own words, we’re now in the “end-game.” Narratively speaking, that means there’s more than enough existing, authorized “canon” on which to formulate theories and provide topics for discussion. Many of us would like to be able to discuss the visual clues, dialogue and exposition when and how presented by the professionals who’ve made the show so popular, without the interpretation of stolen scripts of yet-to-be completed future episodes by an anonymous interloper of unknown qualifications and dubious integrity.
I don’t think that is an unreasonable expectation.
So PLEASE be considerate of our desire to enjoy the experience of watching S7 when and how it airs.
7. My final thoughts on this subject consist of a cast member’s* distress over “the leaks” because it mirrors my own.
“It really upsets me. It hurts. We wanted to tell this story for you the way we intended. While some people might want to read the online posting of the leaks, lots of people don’t want to read it and don’t want to look at it — but they’re being exposed to it anyway.
It’s even more upsetting when you realize the leaks might be originating from someone on the inside.
We’re all trying to make something really cool — that IS really cool, and people really like. So when someone leaks the scripts’ contents ahead of time, your reaction is:
“STOP RUINING IT!!”
It’s sad and really annoys me that this happened.”
— Adapted from interview of Maisie Williams
* For clarity, I’ve taken the liberty of excising verbal tics from a “Radio Times” interview, and clarifying when statements spoken in the first person are intended collectively (the creators and cast) or individually; I’ve also eliminated redundancies, and tried to include the subject and convey the context of incomplete sentences. Please feel free to read the entire interview for yourself.
elybe,
I appreciate the clarification. Obviously, I don’t clicks on greyscale-covered text designated “Leaks”, so I wasn’t aware of the serial whiner’s grievances.
(I just finished a long – and hopefully last – commentary on the subject, but perhaps the whiner should wait until the events in S7 actually unfold: as we all can appreciate, GoT’s award-winning music, acting, cinematography, special effects, directing, scenery, costuming, editing, production, etc., breathe life into the words on the printed page.)
Actually, I was thinking of Pope Francis, who compared the fascination with scandal and purposeful disinformation with an unnatural interest in feces.
Ten Bears,
Don’t get the impression that I condone these leaks, any more than I condone the paparazzi photos… In my mind, they are both shades of the same color. But, this sort of thing has gone on for as long as there’s been an internet, and it always will. A public forum like this is never immune, and in my experience, it’s foolish to think we can participate in the discussion without being exposed to the crap sometimes. It’s going to happen. How we react to it, however, is within our control. I’m sure you felt you were completely justified when you wrote “God damn it! NO LEAKS TALK!” and “Are you f–cking serious?” in a response to another contributor. I would respectfully disagree, and I apologize if I didn’t articulate my reasons adequately in my previous posts.
Well it kind of makes sense that she is done filming. I guess she is now of to begin shooting the next Star Wars Anthology movie, the young Han Solo film, with Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson…Yay, the Mother Of Dragons is coming to a galaxy far far away!!!
Ten Bears,
We’ll see, but I wouldn’t be surprised if time will eventually prove you right.
I’m not too bothered either way. At this point I’d rather watch 23 episodes (seasons 6-8) of a tv show than read two 1000+ page novels anyway. In the time it would take me to read all 7 books in succession, I could read two dozen other novels that may be just as good. I’m gradually losing the patience required for overlong stories, no matter their quality.
Rygritte,
That’s from ASOS, it’s a Dany and Jorah scene which I’m dissapointed they didn’t include in the show. He kissed her against her will and she was very pissed about it. This part and the scene where she slaps him and then when they talk again and she says something like ‘she didn’t know if she’d slap him again or kiss him’ which is interesting as well as upsetting because I feel like their relationship is so much more exciting in the books, I would’ve loved to see that on screen, it feels like a wasted opportunity. But then of course, he dissapears from her thoughts and she starts dreaming of holding a ‘younger, more comely lover’ in her arms – I guess we can all safely assume who that is at this point. It will be sooo interesting to see how the J+D scenes play out on screen.
The writers are sitting on a gold mine with those two, their chemistry is insane ! God I hope they don’t f*ck it up !
Irina Stark,
I’m kinda glad they didn’t include it to be honest, if there was a Dany and Jorah kiss I would want it to be mutual not a older man forcing a kiss and his desire on a young girl without her permission and desire. Lot’s of people think Jorah is a creep in the books considering his a 40’something unattractive balding hairy man obsessed with a 14 year old girl and disrespects her boundaries. While the show instead cast a attractive older man, with a amazing accent, aged up Dany and gave them a deep friendship and although Jorah is in love with her, he respects her more and her boundaries and never tries to force his desires on her and though would love to be with her is content by just being by her side. D&D really did well with Jorah and the changes to his character.
Crater,
Re: Your 2/6/17, 2:14 AM Comment
I appreciate your observations. Even when we disagree, your comments are always articulate and well-written. (I’m not being sarcastic.) I’m sure that in a different venue we could engage in a lively philosophical debate about how (and whether) to respond to “trolling” and the dissemination of lies, stolen intellectual property, and fake “news” on Internet message boards. I’ve already said enough here about my disdain for the illicitly obtained “leaks” and wanted to confine my further comments to the substantive topics of the site’s posts.
But lest silence be misconstrued as acquiescence, allow me to respond briefly to some of your observations, and express my contrition where appropriate:
1. We both agree that “leaks” and other “crap” shouldn’t be condoned, but diverge on how to react.
You wrote that “a public forum like this is never immune, and in my experience, it’s foolish to think we can participate in the discussion without being exposed to the crap sometimes. It’s going to happen.”
First of all, in my view, I’m not sure “public forum” is an entirely accurate description. In my view, participants are invited guests of the site’s creators, and must abide by the host’s policies whether they agree with them or not Like a guest invited into someone’s home who’s asked to take off his or her shoes before coming inside, a commenter can’t simply ignore spoiler coding and other inoculation policies put in place to protect other participants from exposure to “crap.”
I don’t think that resigning oneself to exposure, and accepting that it’s going to happen, is the solution. Nor do I agree that it’s “foolish” to think we can participate without being exposed to the crap sometimes. The site owner(s) and moderators have repeatedly cautioned commenters who inject crap in violation of site policies, and remove offending comments. (Even innocuous “spoilers” are always preceded by a warning on red bold-face font with the specifics tucked “after the cut” to safeguard those in the community who prefer not to view them.)
I was going to cite as an illustrative example of the consequences of resignation to infestation the IMDb GoT message board. It has degenerated into a free-for-all of racist and homophobic diatribes and extraneous nonsense like favorite porn stars: just about everything except GoT. Ironically, when I went over to IMDb today to get some examples of the ridiculous thread topics on its message board, it contained the following “Important!” announcement from the IMDb administrators: “we have decided to disable IMDB’s message boards on Feb. 20, 2017. After in-depth discussion and examination, we have concluded that IMDb’s message boards are no longer providing a positive, useful experience for the vast majority of our… users.”
That to me is a cautionary tale of what can happen when posters of “crap” and trolls are able to run roughshod over the rest of the community.
2. Let’s be clear; the offending commenter who invoked my ire was NOT a “contributor.” In the words of one of my fellow commenters, he or she was “trolling.”
I admit that I’m relatively new to the existence of Internet “trolls.” * It didn’t occur to me that someone would waste his/her time to fabricate a fallacious portrayal of “the leaks” as a “necessary” part of the production process, for the sole purpose of embedding a Trojan horse, i.e., details of a S7 scene from “the leaks.” *
This infiltrator even went to the trouble of posing as abona fide commenter by first posting a comment suggesting that in addition to English history, GRRM was probably influenced by German mythology, portrayed in a 4-hour film “Dark Kingdom.” (He/she referred to the myth as
the “Nibelungen” – apparently referring to the 13th century medieval German “Niebelungied”)
After the Trojan horse comment, he/she then “trolled” a legitimate commenter. calling him a “bigot” for no reason.
3. It looks like the Lord Commander has Slynted the offending comment. (The moderators have excised it from the thread.)
So let there be no doubt: the poster was not a “contributor.” He/she was a serial “troll.”
4. However, I do regret that in my naïveté, I did not immediately identify him/her as a malevolent saboteur. I got suckered into wasting my time rebuking him/her – exactly the outcome a “troll” intends.
I also apologize for the vituperative language I used. It was accurate and well-deserved, but in retrospect I acknowledge I should have use more dignified language.
Finally, I apologize to other commenters who’ve slogged through this lengthy comment. It was supposed to be succinct.
I hope this puts the matter to rest. **
* I had thought “trolls” were those little plastic gremlin toys with fluffy colored hair. Then, until recently, I thought the term generically described anyone who posted off-topic nonsense or continually insulted the site host. Now I’ve come to understand that a “troll” deliberately posts inflammatory messages with nothing worthwhile to say, designed solely to incite rebuke, cause maximum disruption and argument, and to otherwise cause rational participants waste their time.
I cannot fathom why people would do this; I suppose they must get a kick out of it, though I don’t know what it could be.
** As an aside: I had I intended to tell you this sooner after one of your prior comments, so I’ll say it here: I wanted you to know that I just loved your metaphorical flourish when you wrote:
“I’m not sure any of us can plant a flag in the moral high ground here.”
Ten Bears,
Edit/Correction:
I think the right spelling is
“Nibelungelied.”
I can’t wait for the full official trailer. I wonder if they’re going to surprise those of us who will attend the Game of Thrones Concert with the trailer or a sneak peak with a scene from Season 7.