Yesterday we learned that Miguel Sapochnik would likely return to helm at least an episode for the eighth and last season of Game of Thrones, and today we bring you the confirmation… along with the rest of the season eight directorial lineup!
EW has just broken the news: the director of “Hardhome”, “Battle of the Bastards”, and “The Winds of Winter” is back, and he isn’t the only one. Along with Sapochnik, season eight will also see the return of David Nutter, best known for directing successful pilot episodes for television. In terms of Game of Thrones in particular, Nutter was in charge of the Red Wedding in “The Rains of Castamere”, as well as “The Dance of Dragons” and “Mother’s Mercy”, the best episodes of season five except perhaps for “Hardhome”.
It seems Sapochnik and Nutter will divide the first five episodes among them; we don’t know who will take three (leaving two to the other one,) but Hibberd at EW claims to have heard Sapochnik may direct three episodes, which would leave two for Nutter.
But wait! What about the finale? Neither Sapochnik nor Nutter will take care of that one, and no other talent, old or new, has been brought to the table (to the disappointment of those of us who wanted Michelle MacLaren or Alik Shakarov, or an exciting addition.) No, the season eight and series finale will be directed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who have not only co-directed “Walk of Punishment” and “Two Swords” but also co-written most of the show’s episodes and stewarded Game of Thrones as its showrunners.
It’s understandable for D&D to want to end the story they begun by not only writing but directing the series finale, and it’s difficult to imagine better news than Sapochnik returning for at least two episodes (or perhaps even half the season!), as well as David Nutter, who is responsible for many classic Game of Thrones moments.
THREE episodes by Sapochnik. Very, very strong. This is cause for celebration.
Nutter and Sapochnik!!! đ
Sad that Taylor or Shakarov are not coming back.
Either Sapochnik or Nutter doing three episodes will be quite an undertaking, given the rumoured size of each episode this season.
Woooooo
Does anyone else read this as confirmation that the big battles will be wrapped up before the last episode?
Canât imagine D&D would try and direct the last episode if it wasnât more of a resolution one.
Also, Nutter seems to get the tragic episodes: Red Wedding, Shireen, Jonâs death…
Really awesome to see Sapo and Nutter back!
And that D&D will get to direct the finale. This season can’t come soon enough.
Three episodes possibly directed by Sapochnik? I’m not even sure we deserve that kind of awesomeness. Nice!
This is amazing news! Nutter and Sapochnik are the best directors we’ve had! Just a shame we aren’t getting any Neil Marshall for a battle episode or any Alan Taylor, and tbh I actually think D&D’s direction on Two Swords was amazing
BTW does anyone know who’s writing the episodes? I don’t want no Dave Hill dialogue
Holy cow, this is the best news i’ve heard all day!!!!
David Nutter
Miguel Sapochnik
And D&D directing the last episode, walk of punishment and Two swords are both great episodes, loved the Direction.
We’ve known for a while, which was weird. Dave Hill will write the premiere, Cogman episode two, and the rest will be written by D&D.
Alan Taylor was most likely responsible for the BS involving the Red Shirts and in no way acknowledging their existence before their death. The CG team deserves praise for Beyond the Wall, but Taylor made many mistakes. Glad Sapochnik will be there to do the inevitable White Walker battle correctly.
I wish Matt Shakman was returning however.
Also did Alex Graves never return to the show because of the crypt rape scene? Out of curiosity
Oh interesting. I’m going to guess the last episode will be one big resolution to all the conflicts and that King Sappo will take on most of the battle sequences.
This is good news!!
Mormont,
Dave Hill is doing 8×01, Bryan Cogman is writing 8×02 and D&D are writing the final four
Great news! Good to see Nutter return.
Mormont,
Lol. Not sure but even if its not true we should still go with that story.
Luka Nieto,
Hmm well at least the premiere episode is probably a more simple and structured one to write and hopefully the dialogue will be natural and flowing… and having Cogman write the next episode will shore up any feelings of simplicity people have
House Monty,
I was expecting that, to be honest.
House Monty,
I’ve been thinking or hoping that at least the series finale will be a complete conflict aftermath wrap-up episode. I’d like there to be enough time spent with all of those left so we can really form a good imagination of how things could be when it’s over.
Great news,. But it would have been better if Jeremy Podeswa directed one episode, perhaps the premiere
I’d accept twenty more minutes of J&D on the boat. #epicboatsex
Clob,
A full half the episode of boat sex and pillow talk with 10 minutes of shots of Tyrion listening by the door and Ser Jorah crying in his room
Mormont,
I thought I was the only one who cringed when I see Dave Hill’s name in the credits a a writer.
Agreed. Wonder what the odds are of a Tagareyn wedding in the last episode.
Lol. #epicboatsex
Yea. Makes lots of sense. We need a whole episode to resolve things. How can they talk to us about what Westeros tax policy will be like after.
Ramin Djawadi just announced another Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience tour through North America AND Europe!! Yesss!
Hell yes! That is a stellar roster of directors for the final season! I couldn’t be happier!
We all wanted Miguel Sapochnik back, and to hear that he might be directing as many as three episodes of the final season is great news. It will be a ton of work, to be sure, especially as he’s virtually certain to have been handed the reigns for at least one major battle, if not more. But he’s up for it, and with an extended filming time frame, the results should be spectacular!
I had a strong feeling that David Nutter would be back for the final season, especially once I heard that he was originally supposed to return for Season 7 (I believe he had a health issue than rendered it unfeasible, so his episodes went to Matt Shakman). The Red Wedding alone earns him the right to be on the final season roster, but I’ve loved his other episodes as well.
And I’m personally thrilled that David Benioff and Dan Weiss will be directing the finale. I loved the work they did on Walk of Punishment and especially Two Swords. And as Hibberd notes, there’s a grand tradition for the showrunners of the best modern dramas personally helming the final episodes of their programs (Vince Gilligan, David Chase, Matthew Weiner). Benioff and Weiss have more than earned the right to do the same.
Game of Thrones is Benioff and Weiss’s show. They’ve devoted their lives to it for over a decade. They’ve built it into a global phenomenon, one of the biggest and best shows ever. I’m glad that they’ll get to end the story on their terms, and to place their complete creative stamp on the show’s final episode (which they’ll be writing as well). They have my complete and unconditional confidence, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store!
Interesting! Well, D&D deserve to close out their show if that’s what they want to do. And 3 episodes of Sapochnik… I don’t think I could handle the level of awesomeness that would imply!
House Monty,
yeah, I totally agree with you, I think there will be two battles at least, one at the beggining of the season (ep 2?, probably at WF) and another one at the ending, probably in episode 5, THE FINAL BATTLE, the showdown between Jon and The NK.
I guess the last episode will be about the consequences of the great war, who survived the series and who sits on the IT.
I LOVE MIGUEL AND NEIL! they directed the best episodes of the series! “The rains of Castamere”, “The Battle of the bastards” and “The Winds of winter” were extraordinarily done! brilliant!
D&D totally deserve to be the directors of the series finale,wether you agree with some plots or not, thanks to them Game Of Thrones came alive! and in my humble opinion they’ve done a brilliant job, I will always be thankful to them for introducing me to the amazing world of Ice and Fire.
God, now we know the writters, the directors and some casting calls, this is starting to (really) like the begginging of the end… so sad đ
Damn Christmas came early this year and I couldnât be happier. Two brilliant Game of Thronesâ directors coming back to helm the last few episodes. Not only that, their track records are absolutely outstanding. This may be a little presumptuous, but I feel as though this season has the potential to be one of the best due to the amount of budget and direction itâs going to have. Especially if the rumors about the elongated running times are true.
D&D closing out the show is so appropriate. Game of Thrones is what it is because of their expert show running skills. Regardless of any mistakes theyâve ever made or blunders with the plot, their loyalty and focus to the show has remained unhinged and unwavering.
I for one am relieved to hear that the final episode will not be Sapochnik’s to direct. My fear was that the series would end with a gigantic climactic battle, followed by a brief coda that leaves way too many questions unanswered. What I really, really want is plenty of attention paid to the tying up of loose ends and satisfying denouements to lots of character arcs – and not just the main characters!
And the final scene, ideally, will be Prime Minister Tyrion taking his ease, sipping a flagon of Imp’s Delight, and telling the punchline of the ass/honeycomb/brothel joke to a woman who genuinely loves him.
Jared,
I second all this. Sapochnik is my favorite, and Nutter is an A-lister as far as TV directors go, and his track record on Thrones reflects that. D&D’s direction in “Walk of Punishment” and “Two Swords” was impressive especially considering they had no previous directing experience. I might be worried about them not directing for a few years and then stepping in to direct perhaps the most important episode of the series, but they’ve got the best crew in the business, and I’m sure they’ve learned from Sapochnik and Nutter and all the other directors they’ve hired over the course of the show’s history.
Now time to figure out which episodes each person’s directing!
I feel like once we know which episodes are being directed by Sapo and Nutter respectively, it will be easier to deduce which episodes will involve battles and which ones will involve major non battle deaths lol. I doubt Nutter will be handling battles and highly emotional death scenes are his forte.
House Monty,
Lol Tax policy: Tyrion monologue over an “im just a bill” esque/ Lanister castle raid of taxes and political structure breakdown.
lets see that
This is great news! I’m holding out hope that it ends up being three episodes for Sapochnik. He does brilliant work with battles and quieter moments alike. I’m not too upset about Taylor, because as already mentioned, some of his directorial choices in Beyond the Wall led to misinterpretations of key moments that he later needed to clarify, and a couple of logic gripes that could have been avoided with minor changes in staging, blocking, or camera work. He’s still a great director, but I think Miguel is better at conveying a clear narrative in his action scenes and finding the human drama within them. It’s also nice to have Nutter back, even though I’ve unfortunately come to associate him with Starks getting stabbed to death and kids getting burnt alive.
House Monty,
Now that you mention it, yeah. It’s pretty in line with GoT to have the action climax of the series in the penultimate episode and have the resolution of the political drama in the finale. I’d also assume they want to dedicate some time to the aftermath and future of Westeros.
Yes Sapochnik! He differently made D&D writing bearable in season 6.
How awesome would’ve he have been for beyond the wall?
Who directed spoils of war? That guy did great as well.
Very great news đ
I know a lot of people were hoping for Sapochnik to direct the finale, but D&D really are the best ones to take on that job. They created the show and it’s most appropriate for them to also close it out. The only thing that I wish could be different so far is that GRRM would be the one writing the finale, but I know that’s not possible and I trust D&D will handle that job well.
Same! It’s not that D&D can’t do action, but it makes sense they’d give Sapochnik the climactic battle, which probably means it will happen in episode 5, with the finale resolving everything properly. That’s not to say the finale will be an hour of Return of the King endings; I’m sure quite a few character arcs will climax in the finale, not before.
My best guess would be that Nutter directs the first two episodes, written by Hill and Cogman, while the following explosive climactic three episodes written by D&D are handled by Sapochnik.
Hodoring here just because I forgot to check the Notify Me box…
As long as Nutter and Sapochnik were back, I was going to be happy. Rains of Castamere, Hardhome, Battle of the Bastards and Winds of Winter are commonly cited as among the best Thrones episodes ever (and I have to agree with that assessment), and these two are my favorite Thrones directors.
This is a good news day!
I would be happy with this – it would presumably give Nutter the big RLJ reveal to Jon (I can’t see that happening later than the first couple of episodes) and Sapochnik the meaty climactic battle.
Yay! Just saw this article (and haven’t read other comments yet), but the news that Sapochnik is on board for 2-3 episodes is fantastic. Though my inner fanboy wishes he would direct all six episodes, I shouldn’t be greedy – or ignore the practical difficulties of one director helming all six episodes. Wouldn’t want our MVP to burn out midway through production.
I am also glad Benioff and Weiss will be directing the finale. I did not realize they had directed the episode with my all-time favorite scene: “Two Swords” aka “Every F*cking Chicken in this Room.”
It looks like they’ve assembled a dream team for the final season.
P.S. Hey Jack 24: So far it doesn’t look like Mr. Blurry Background is directing any episodes.
D&D directing the finale add credibility to the news that they will be filming alternative versions – maybe not of the whole finale but of one or two denouement scenes. They will be the only guys that will know the truth and they won’t have to share it with anyone.
Fewer directors/director teams = less chance for leaks.
Also interesting that this will be D&Ds first directorship on GOT.
Inga,
They won’t have to share it with anyone? Anyone but the dozens of people that are involved in even the most intimate scenes? đ
Flayed Potatoes,
“King Sappo.” I like that. (*Bends knee*)
He’s already set a high bar with “Hardhome”, the first half of “Battle of the Bastards”, and “Winds of Winter.” I wouldn’t bet against him outdoing himeself by giving us even better episodes in S8.
Oh geez. Yes those Wildlings needed stronger character development… unless you were blind they were there throughout the episode.
Ryan,
It won’t be first.
It says in the article that D&D directed “Walk of Punishment” and “Two Swords”.
elybe,
Im curious what staging, blocking or camera choices would have reconciled the timeline issues people complained about, or the appearance of the chains etc.
All that was the script. Taylor couldnt change anything of that. The actual direction was fantastic. The criticisms (overstated frankly) werent things that would have been rectified with blocking or camera angles.
You’re right, my mistake. They each directed one of those, but haven’t yet together.
Sweet. Id love to finally be able to go.
Ryan,
No. They directed them together. Only one of them is credited for each of the episodes, but that’s just because of the Directors Guild, I believe.
Interesting. Seems a bit bureaucratic.
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
there are ways to fade and cut between scenes that would more directly convey the passage of time.
here are few Sean Collins noted. other than dialogue, it would be a directing thing. And even the dialogue, the director could suggest a couple tweaks to ensure the passage of time is being more clearly communicated.
“Simply for dramatic purposes, I would have liked the show to have emphasized how long Jon & company were stranded on that islandâsome fades to show passage of time, dialogue about how cold & hungry they are, make âem look extra haggard, that kind of thing. But to me thatâs about one sentenceâs worth of criticism (I just wrote it), not an essay, let alone the main thrust of how I interact with the show now. “
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
Me too! I’ve been waiting for an European announcement since the announcement for the first tour.
I was so hoping Matt Shakman would be directing one episode!! He did an amazing job with the Spoils of War battle and would have have done an equally amazing job with the dragons and amazing battles coming the last season! Very sad for him! He should win an Emmy for The Spoils of War if anything! I am so happy for Miguel and David Nutter and of course Dave and Dan, but would have loved an episode directed by a well-deserving Matt Shakman!
I am very much not a fan of Nutter (he makes very watchable TV but his work is very surface level, partially because of his method of covering everything artlessly and assembling it all in post, resulting in very little meaning in shot selection and framing unlike some of the other best directors on the series…on the other hand, he’s pretty good with actors) but I’ll take it if he’s doing two episodes and Sapochnik is doing three. Especially if Nutter is directing the first batch and Sapochnik (the best director to work on the series period) the three before the final episode.
Also quite fine with Weiss and Benioff directing the finale. They did a fantastic job on both episodes they directed (Walk of Punishment and Two Swords).
House Monty,
To me it seemed quite clear they were there for ar least 24 hours. They woke up looking pretty worn down and Thoros was frozen to death. Jorah saying they would freeze to death before too long. The shots of them sitting around, the Hound getting bored and throwing rocks. And there were cuts to and from them while they were sitting out there two other scenes elsewhere in Westeros. It feeds in and out between scenes is what it takes to convince somebody of the passage of time then they are pretty dense.
And any additional dialogue would be the script so that’s not on Taylor at all.
The suggestions you noted are all semantics.
So Luka has already said it, but I’m picturing:
8×01 Written by Dave Hill; Directed by David Nutter
8×02 Written by Bryan Cogman; Directed by David Nutter
8×03 Written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss; Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
8×04 Written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss; Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
8×05 Written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss; Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
8×06 Written and Directed by David Benioff and Dan Weiss
By the way, it really pays to be named Dave or David in this series.
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
Problem is what you said. They needed to be there for more than 24 hours for the timelines to sync up. If all that was communicated was they were there for 24 hours than that wasnât enough.
I personally donât care. Loved the episode. But would have had lots less complaining if it was clear they were there for days not just at least 24 hours.
House Monty,
The past is the past. The future is all that’s worth discussing
Luka Nieto,
Yep. Though now I think they’ll be able to be co-credited. The DGA has to recognize them as an established pairing before allowing it. I think they could be called that by now. But then again it took decades before they let the Coen Brothers co-credit their work, so who knows.
Quinton O’Connor,
Same.
Luka Nieto,
I just wanted to say that writing and directing gives more control, especially if some of the final scenes has alternative versions. They can simply tell the actors to say their lines and everyone else o do their job and then make the final cut. But one way or another I am not a fan of multiply endings idea and I love to be spoiled, so I hope that everything leaks anyway.
I would love this!
Xmas came early this year !! Nutter & Sapo on board for the final season, and the concert experience coming back to Toronto … Great news for this fan!!
Amazing news. Miguel Sapochnik for sure deserve this, same as Nutter. As for the finale, of course David Benioff and Dan Weiss would have this honor. I’m very happy about this!
Matt Shakman was the director of spoils of war. But he isn’t coming back for season 8 tho.
Seems having Sapochnik back that we will never see Neil Marshall again on GoT?
If it’s Dream of Spring may be no big action sequence . D&D can cover that.
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface:
Where did I say anything about the timeline or the dragon chains? I was primarily referring to Taylor unintentionally depicting the Suicide Squad as botching their own rescue by appearing to advance towards the wights and delay climbing onto Drogon rather than holding off an ambush, which was what he’d intended to convey. He outright admitted that this was a goof since so many people read that scene wrong and were frustrated with the characters themselves. Nothing at all to do with the writing, since in this case his directorial choices unintentionally conveyed something different from what was in the script. Then we have the blocking during the scene where the NK approaches a completely vulnerable and exposed Drogon with a spear and then inexplicably javalins Viserion with it instead. The way the shot was composed clearly established that Drogon and Dany were easy pickings, but…yeah. This isn’t an attack on Taylor, who I think is great at what he does. I’m just personally glad that the final season’s action sequences will be in the hands of a director who has nailed them consistently and gone above and beyond to create a sub-narrative that adds additional symbolism and meaning to simple stage directions.
Hopefully they’ll also be able to get some of them to direct the during the next series as well. I would think getting as many ‘leaders’ working on that from GoT would also help to give it a familiar feel. đ
And if you read my posts that has nothing to do with the director but everything to do with the script that the director is given. So criticizing Alan Taylor for the script is ridiculous. No artistic license in blocking or staging or camera angles is going to ever change that.
Yep. The DGA generally frowns on co-directing credits; for years they didn’t allow the Coen Brothers to share co-directing credits in their movies…
elybe,
Concerning everyone climbing onto Drogon there was nothing confusing about that to me. Also as far as the Night King going after Viserion and not Drogon how was that Alan Taylor’s fault? They are sitting there in the middle of this island and the scrip says I’m certain the Night King kills Viserion. Where would you have put Drogon and Viserion and the Night King in that scene so that it made you feel more satisfied? Drogon had to be in the middle of the lake in order to get all of the characters. The Night King had to be somewhere along the perimeter of the lake. Viserion had to be flying around somewhere as well. There’s only so many ways they could have all been situated.
And where does Alan Taylor say that was a mistake the way they climb onto Drogon was filmed?
I agree.
I have no doubt that part of the reason D&D elected to direct the final episode is an attempt to prevent the finale from leaking; regardless of whether they film alternative versions of the final sequence or not (which they might do, after all.)
And I guess the odds-on favourite for the title of the series finale is A Dream of Spring.
My guess on director order is Nutter for the first two episodes and Miguel for episodes 3-5.
Woohoo! When Luka was hypothesizing in that last article about Sapochnik, I was hoping for a ridiculous 3 feature-length episodes. All hail Miguel, the King Behind the Camera! And Nutter and David and Dan to boot? Wow, wow, wow!
Very happy about all of this. Now if someone could just make a time machine that will put me watching tv on the date of the season 8 premier, right now! No? well a girl can dream…
House Monty,
I assumed that would be the case, and this does seem to lean in that direction. There’s a lot to sum up. The battles do need to happen earlier than the finale.
Anyway, that’s kind of always how it’s been with GoT.
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
I think you’re overestimating how interested I am in getting into this. It wasn’t confusing to you, but it was to many others, and I don’t have any suggestions for improvement because a) It’s not my job to direct this show, and b) I don’t really care all that much. What’s done is done. I’m stating a subjective preference and can’t really be bothered turning it into a debate. We can agree to disagree, eh?
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
Only thing I can think of is Benjen’s death. Making it seem like the wights were closer/bearing down on them, giving them absolutely no time, would’ve made that a lot more tolerable to have him slap the horse and turn to start fighting, instead of choosing to walk back to fight with a lot of space between him and and the wights.
LaMar,
Does anyone know if the writing credits are simply distributed proportionally? I mean, does one writer really write the whole episode or just gets related scenes to write that end up in different episodes (e.g. someone gets to write most of the Dorne or Ironborn storyline because it’s not connected to the main story, but has to be a self-standing piece) and if most of those scenes end up in a certain episode, he can claim the episode. I have the feeling that some crucial scenes are still written or edited by D&D. Other scenes (e.g. like those containing a “punch in the face” can probably be attributed to the same writer)
Miguel is happy to be back đ
https://twitter.com/MigSapochnik/status/912934977922269184
I was secretly hoping for Tim van Patten to direct the final 2 episodes. He is one of the best directors out there but I guess he was never on the list.
Happy with Nutter and Sapochnik though!
This reddit post is interesting regarding episode order.
https://www.reddit.com/r/freefolk/comments/72pops/someone_on_4chan_appears_to_have_known_s8/
For what its worth, the suggestion is:
Ep1: Nutter
Ep2 & 3: Sapo
Ep4: Nutter
Ep5: Sapo
E6: D&D
finally my fav director for game of thrones Miguel Sapochnik is back .. please let him direct all the 6 episodes only him i don’t want any one els do it
Well the whole point of these threads is to have discussion so if you post something or if I post something I fully expect for there to be back and forth conversation or debate if you will.
As I wrote in the other article I’m very glad Miguel is back, he’s done the best work on thrones (although aided by scripts and plot), I’d hope he is taking the main action episodes which I assume are 4 & 5 and Nutter is likely doing the first episode which will be more character driven.
D&D doing the ending makes sense also it keeps even more it confidential and they know exactly how everything should look.
Wow so leaks are already beginning albeit which episodes the directors will take rather than plot!
House Monty,
Yes I do