Game of Thrones stars reportedly in salary negotiations for the final seasons

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Cast negotiations for the final two seasons of Game of Thrones are underway, and Deadline is reporting that a handful of the show’s biggest stars will be receiving a nice salary increase next year. Since the negotiations more or less confirm that these actors survive through the season 6 finale, it can be considered a major spoiler. We’re going to go ahead and tuck those actors’ names below the cut.

According to Deadline, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau “will all be paid north of $500,000 an episode” for seasons 7 and 8.

Don’t let that make you think these actors are safe for the rest of the series, however. Deadline also says they’ve heard the deal “does not guarantee that all five characters will survive til the end as the show’s last episodes are yet to be written.”

HBO has not confirmed the negotiations.

I can’t say it’s a huge surprise that Clarke, Dinklage and Harington are safe for now but I know that a lot of people have been worried about Headey’s Cersei in the season finale, and uncertain as to how Jaime will finish season 6. As is noted, the contracts don’t guarantee a character’s survival through the 8th season, but it certainly indicates that these are the key players the show wants to secure for as long as possible.

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

280 Comments

  1. I thought Cersei might be a goner until I saw Jaime in the Riverlands in the Winds of Winter preview. So she’s safe until at least Season 7.

  2. I never thought this would be Cersei’s final season, but I personally doubt she makes it to Season 8, based on the pace things appear to be progressing. Season 7 will probably wrap up her story, one way or another. I don’t know about Jaime; a case can certainly be made that their fates are linked.

  3. What about Sophie and Maisie, I assume they’re going to pay them less… just because they are younger does not mean they don’t deserve as much money, they’re a HUGE draw for the show, they’re just as good of actresses as those five, one can even argue they are better than some (Emilia, Kit and Nikolaj), their stories as Sansa and Arya are a huge part of the show, they are the most rooted for characters.

  4. Alfie:
    What about Sophie and Maisie, I assume they’re going to pay them less… just because they are younger does not mean they don’t deserve as much money, they’re a HUGE draw for the show, they’re just as good of actresses as those five, one can even argue they are better than some (Emilia, Kit and Nikolaj), their stories as Sansa and Arya are a huge part of the show, they are the most rooted for characters.

    They’re in the tier 2 of the actors so while I’m sure they will get raises as well they are not top billed like the big 5 are.

  5. Fuck me sideways!!! $500,000 an episode… Jesus H Christ 😮

    For a season perhaps, but for each episode that’s just crazy money. Well OTT in my opinion. I should have become an actor instead of an engineer 😉

  6. I never thought cersei and jamie will die in the next episode …too soon .
    Howevr I don’t believe they will survive next season

  7. Alfie:
    What about Sophie and Maisie, I assume they’re going to pay them less… just because they are younger does not mean they don’t deserve as much money, they’re a HUGE draw for the show, they’re just as good of actresses as those five, one can even argue they are better than some (Emilia, Kit and Nikolaj), their stories as Sansa and Arya are a huge part of the show, they are the most rooted for characters.

    Sophie and Maisie are B-tier, per the last round of negotiations — the other actor named as being in that tier at the time was Natalie Dormer.

    No doubt they will see significant raises, as their importance has grown, and they’ve both acquired more status as actors outside of the show, which is part of contract leverage. They were getting paid less beforehand because they were little kids when they signed on — which, especially in Maisie’s case, is rather unjust (not that justice has ever had much to do with contract negotiations, heh). Maisie’s been playing a true lead role since at least Season 2.

    Black Raven:
    Fuck me sideways!!!$500,000 an episode… Jesus H Christ

    For a season perhaps, but for each episode that’s just crazy money. Well OTT in my opinion. I should have become an actor instead of an engineer

    Compared to network TV salaries, it’s actually not all that impressive, actually. The major stars of top network shows often get over a million per episode, and that’s for shows that film way more episodes than GOT does (Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory made almost $30 million last year).

  8. Why can’t Cersi and Jaime surcive til the very end? Sometimes hated characters bring on a bigger audience. People have to hate someone.

  9. considering i think there will be a slaughter at twins im happy to see jaime will survive somehow!!!

  10. Alfie:
    What about Sophie and Maisie, I assume they’re going to pay them less… just because they are younger does not mean they don’t deserve as much money, they’re a HUGE draw for the show, they’re just as good of actresses as those five, one can even argue they are better than some (Emilia, Kit and Nikolaj), their stories as Sansa and Arya are a huge part of the show, they are the most rooted for characters.

    I wouldn’t say Sophie is a better actor then Nikolaj. I think Maisie is miles above her as well.

  11. Will:
    500k an ep? Damn

    And sometimes they appear for…3/4 minutes? Now we know who’s getting all that dire wolf money!

  12. I would bet Sophie, Maisie, Gwendoline and Alfie will get big raises as well, but probably around the 300k range.

    I still think Cersei could get it next week or very early in Season 7.

  13. Alfie:
    What about Sophie and Maisie, I assume they’re going to pay them less… just because they are younger does not mean they don’t deserve as much money, they’re a HUGE draw for the show, they’re just as good of actresses as those five, one can even argue they are better than some (Emilia, Kit and Nikolaj), their stories as Sansa and Arya are a huge part of the show, they are the most rooted for characters.

    Sophie graduate to her own title card this year, so she’ll likely get a nice boost, too, though she’s probably just catching up to the core’s old salary. Then again, if I were 20 and already a millionaire, I probably wouldn’t complain about a few hundred thousand here and there.

  14. Ravyn,

    One of the things I’ve always wondered with the “per episode” comments is whether that means they get paid for ten episodes (which is what they’re contracted for) regardless of how often the writers actually use them, or depending on their actual episode counts. The latter would lead to some pretty wild salary fluctuations for many people (e.g., John Bradley going from 9 episodes last year to probably only 3 this year).

  15. Do the salaries count towards the “total episode costs” which are currently estimated at about $10M per?

    Since those 5 actors make up 25% of that, and they have HUNDREDS of other actors/extras/crew to pay, plus all the travel/filming/development costs etc., I wouldn’t think the salaries count towards the “cost” of an episode, but could be wrong.

    And in that case, its amazing to think that HBO can somehow profit when a single hour of TV costs them $15M+.

  16. Sean C.:

    Compared to network TV salaries, it’s actually not all that impressive, actually.The major stars of top network shows often get over a million per episode, and that’s for shows that film way more episodes than GOT does (Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory made almost $30 million last year).

    How many named stars are on The Big Bang Theory? There are twenty-nine stars on GoT, according to the HBO schedule, and hundreds of named cast members. Are there Nielsen ratings 20 million compared to GoT’s 8.11 million record? Not really the same. Yeah, network versus HBO, but still. Apples and oranges. It’s impossible to really compare.

  17. Sean C.,

    I work in film production (though I’m not in anyway involved with contract negotiations), but my experience is that the bigger actors have it built in a minimum (say, if they were to do to Dinklage what they did to Bradwell this year, he’d still get x amount, regardless). If they had a smart agent, that’s how they’d handle it. Though, considering they’re labeled “core” for a reason, story demands probably means they’ll do 8 episodes at least each year. The supporting players like Bronn, Gilly, etc. probably have to take the best deal they can get.

  18. Ryan:
    And in that case, its amazing to think that HBO can somehow profit when a single hour of TV costs them $15M+.

    All six members of the cast of Friends made $1 million per episode for that show’s final few years, so that was $6 million per episode solely on main cast salaries — though for a show like that, of course, they didn’t have especially arduous production requirements, unlike GOT.

    grimezzzx,

    For the opening titles, which doesn’t have direct correlation to salary; I expect they’re still being paid the same. But Maisie really should have her own card too (this season she’s typically gotten the first shared card, alongside Conleth Hill), considering that, e.g., Nathalie Emmanuel has one. Poor Isaac, meanwhile, is always buried way at the back. Those three were usually billed together starting out, so you can chart how their paths diverged with time.

  19. Sean C.,

    To be fair, in terms of the SHOW, Sansa (and Sophie) is more of a core part of the show considering her growing role.

  20. Sean C.:
    Ravyn,

    One of the things I’ve always wondered with the “per episode” comments is whether that means they get paid for ten episodes (which is what they’re contracted for) regardless of how often the writers actually use them, or depending on their actual episode counts.The latter would lead to some pretty wild salary fluctuations for many people (e.g., John Bradley going from 9 episodes last year to probably only 3 this year).

    I’m pretty sure it is not counting those they aren’t in. If an actor gives them horrible negotiations, D&D can give in and then kill them off quickly after the contracts are signed, which might be what happened to Ser Barristan Selmy and which definitely happened with Ros. I wonder if they aren’t revamping Season 7 right now to move up the valonqar moment.

  21. Ryan:
    Do the salaries count towards the “total episode costs” which are currently estimated at about $10M per?

    Of course they do!

  22. Ginevra,

    Ian McElhinney and Esme Bianco weren’t regulars; they’d likely have been paid based on how long they worked, etc. That’s different from a series regular contract.

  23. Fuchsia: Maybe Arya and Sansa sail off into the sunset together to see what is west of Westeros.

    What is west of Westeros?

  24. Jack Bauer 24,

    Nope Jack nope, i respect your opinion but as a cinema student myself i can clearly see the exact opposite in terms of Sophie and Maisie, not seeing it as “miles above her” like you but it’s certainly the opposite for me.

  25. Jack Bauer 24: I wouldn’t say Sophie is a better actor then Nikolaj. I think Maisie is miles above her as well.

    Agreed. Maisie has a range just using her eyes alone that Sophie can’t touch. Half the time you can’t even tell what emotion Sophie is trying to convey. I dont like bagging on her, she has improved, but her strengths are much more narrow. I’ve been quietly not happy that Maisie has still been a shared billing while leading her own storyline for five seasons.

  26. A little disappointing. I think Cersei’s arc is played out, and I was hoping she would be a goner in ep 10.

  27. I feel like Kit puts in more work than all of them. He routinely spends the most days on set and is usually doing a lot of physical work as well. So he definitely has earned it. But with the success of the show it’s only natural that the actors’ salaries rise too. Maisie and Sophie are probably making $300,000+ per episode now too. Sophie probably has a more powerful agent, but last time those two negotiated together, so I’m sure they are paid the same, and they should be.

  28. Well, I’m relieved to hear Jaime won’t die in the finale. I never thought any of the others would.

    I have a theory on what might happen to Jaime next episode (which is likely completely wrong):

    Walder Frey will imprison him on Cersei’s orders (as she wants to be sure he doesn’t get back to KL before she uses the Wildfire). Of course, she wouldn’t let Jaime know she gave the orders – she would probably have Frey tell him it was Kevan or someone.

    Early next season, someone (Brienne? The BWB? Arya?) will kill all of the Freys, and free Jaime. Jaime will then find the letter to Walder, and see that it’s from Cersei…

  29. Sean C.:

    grimezzzx,

    For the opening titles, which doesn’t have direct correlation to salary; I expect they’re still being paid the same.But Maisie really should have her own card too (this season she’s typically gotten the first shared card, alongside Conleth Hill), considering that, e.g., Nathalie Emmanuel has one.Poor Isaac, meanwhile, is always buried way at the back.Those three were usually billed together starting out, so you can chart how their paths diverged with time.

    Wow, I can’t believe Nathalie Emmanuel has her own card/solo billing while Maisie does not! Haven’t noticed it before so thanks for pointing that out. Being an Arya/Maisie fan, I’m like… whut???

  30. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    Sophie definitely has a more poweful agent, getting roles like Jean Grey and who knows who else. She’s on her way to A-list so I’m not surprised that she’s getting more credit on the series than Maisie.

  31. You know, I’ve never really felt – at least not since the last two seasons – that Sansa is any less A-tier of a character than Jaime. This season and last her story has been completely central.

    But I guess some of this also depends on their stories moving forward! I’m so curious what her next story is. I think we all have a BASIC conjecture for the main ones and who their stories are tied to, but Sansa is kind of a wildcard for me.

    Regardless, Sophie is well on her way to moviestardom, in a way that Maisie and her incredible gifts might not be. 🙁

  32. ArgonathofBraavos,

    If Cersei and Jaime die, there is no one left to oppose Dany. There’s no Young Griff. Euron will probably be an obstacle, but the audience isn’t as invested in him, and he is simply a villain.

  33. Hope Lena Headey will manage her finances well with the money she’s making as Cersei. Esp since she’s got 2 kids now to feed… aaaand she may not make it till the end…

  34. grimezzzx:
    Sam,

    Has Maisie been getting as much screentime as Nathalie?

    Ah, yes? She’s been the central character at her part of the GOT world. Natalie is no way the central character in Meereen.

  35. Nadia,

    It’s tragic how Maisie is destined for something far from a Hollywood career. And she seems to know it, sadly. Oh well, there’s always indie film. Or maybe she can be in some HBO miniseries after the role is done.

  36. Sean C.: Compared to network TV salaries, it’s actually not all that impressive, actually. The major stars of top network shows often get over a million per episode, and that’s for shows that film way more episodes than GOT does (Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory made almost $30 million last year).

    You beat me to it. Half a million per episode sounds a lot and is compared to a normal job, no doubt about that, but the thing is, being an A-List actor in maybe the most popular show on TV isn’t a normal job. I’m actually a bit surprised that their salary isn’t higher. Sure, that’s a great amount of money, but the importance of the main actors of the show is even greater. They’re the “faces” of the show by now. The show was fine after recasting the roles of Darrio and their like, but when we’re talking about a recast of someone like Dany or Jon at this point, HBO will most likely feel quite the backlash from the audience.

  37. grimezzzx:
    Nadia,

    It’s tragic how Maisie is destined for something far from a Hollywood career. And she seems to know it, sadly. Oh well, there’s always indie film. Or maybe she can be in some HBO miniseries after the role is done.

    She’s about to be in an X-Men spinoff………………………………

  38. Abyss: You beat me to it. Half a million per episode sounds a lot and is compared to a normal job, no doubt about that, but the thing is, being an A-List actor in maybe the most popular show on TV isn’t a normal job. I’m actually a bit surprised that their salaryisn’t higher. Sure, that’s a great amount of money, but the importance of the main actors of the show is even greater. They’re the “faces” of the show by now. The show was fine after recasting the roles of Darrio and their like, but when we’re talking about a recast of someone like Dany or Jon at this point, HBO will most likely feel quite the backlash from the audience.

    Dany or Jon could not be recast at this point.

  39. Nadia,

    Her incredible gifts could land her roles in art/independent movies or TV shows. She could go the route of actresses like Felicity Jones (non-stardom type of artists)?

  40. Nadia,

    Nicolaj and Lena get paid more because they are older and have more powerful agents. That’s how this stuff usually goes. If actors were paid by order of character importance, Kit,Emilia, and Peter would be the ‘A tier’ and Nicolaj and Lena would be in the ‘B tier’ with Maisie and Sophie. Poor Isaac has a major role, but likely will never be paid like it.

  41. I noticed the credit change for the two of them early this season. I think the outcry over Sansa’s ‘rape’ last year got her a lot of attention from the public and D&D have made sure to empower her this season, perhaps well beyond what GRRM had planned. I count Sophie as one of the most wooden GoT performers. She has a pretty but fairly unexpressive face, a monotonic voice, and about five body positions. She conveys what she has to, but Sansa is mainly a passive character and doesn’t get to emote much. Maisie is a firecracker, can hold her own in repartee with Sean Bean, Charles Dance, and Rory McCann, et al and do action as well. Just because Sansa is becoming part of the ruling class, I don’t think Sophie deserves a credit title to herself. If anything, they should be credited together. And trust me….Sophie is no Meryl Streep.

  42. Sean C.:
    Ginevra,

    Ian McElhinney and Esme Bianco weren’t regulars; they’d likely have been paid based on how long they worked, etc. That’s different from a series regular contract.

    I saw what Ravyn said after I posted. I trust everything she says. She definitely knows more than I do: I was making an educated guess.

  43. Stark Raven’ Rad:
    I noticed the credit change for the two of them early this season.I think the outcry over Sansa’s ‘rape’ last year got her a lot of attention from the public and D&D have made sure to empower her this season, perhaps well beyond what GRRM had planned.I count Sophie as one of the most wooden GoT performers.She has a pretty but fairly unexpressive face, a monotonic voice, and about five body positions.She conveys what she has to, but Sansa is mainly a passive character and doesn’t get to emote much. Maisie is a firecracker, can hold her own in repartee with Sean Bean, Charles Dance, and Rory McCann, et al and do action as well. Just because Sansa is becoming part of the ruling class, I don’t think Sophie deserves a credit title to herself. If anything, they should be credited together. And trust me….Sophie is no Meryl Streep.

    Agreed. Sophie isn’t even in the same hemisphere as Streep.

  44. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I don’t think Bran even this season, as important as he is, can be considered major in terms of screen time. His scenes are pivotal, but even this season there are so so few of them.

  45. Sean C.

    Compared to network TV salaries, it’s actually not all that impressive, actually.The major stars of top network shows often get over a million per episode, and that’s for shows that film way more episodes than GOT does (Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory made almost $30 million last year).

    Perhaps so, but the top GoT actors (although very good) are hardly in the same class or as well known as ‘Hollywood Film Stars’ like Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, etc.

    Block buster movies make $millions at the box office and through DVD sales afterwards and most of these famous actors have worked their way up from the bottom. It just seems ridiculous to me how actors that were more or less unknown before GoT was aired can be paid such vast amounts of money!

    Its not surprising that HBO and the show runners have decided to reduce the number of episodes in the remaining seasons down to seven if they have to wedge out those sorts of salaries to the actors!

    I’m not surprised now that Stephen Dillane (Stannis) said he wasn’t interested in the part he played in GoT and only did it for the money – Why not indeed, for $500K each episode – so would I 😉

  46. Daughter of Winter:
    Jack Bauer 24,

    Nope Jack nope, i respect your opinion but as a cinema student myself i can clearly see the exact opposite in terms of Sophie and Maisie, not seeing it as “miles above her” like you but it’s certainly the opposite for me.

    I don’t know. There’s absolutely a synergistic effect in acting. We could feel it every single freaking time that Maisie got paired with Essie Davis – wow, what a difference, right? So yes. Maisie may pale normally in her scenes compared to Sophie. But as much as I love Sexy Jesus and the Waif, they aren’t in the same ballpark with Dinklage, Lena, Natalie Dormer, and almost all of the awesome King’s Landing folks that Sophie had for years. Maisie gets to carry the scenes all by her lonesome. That’s almost impossible to do, as we see with even Dinklage when there’s just Missandei and Greyworm.

  47. Stark Raven’ Rad,

    Lets not give Sophie any unfair hatred. She’s very talented, and the most talented actress of her generation. I’d definitely put her above Jennifer Lawrence or Chloe Moretz, and definitely above Maisie. She inspires emotion in the audience, making Sansa the controversial character she is today.

  48. Abyss: You beat me to it. Half a million per episode sounds a lot and is compared to a normal job, no doubt about that, but the thing is, being an A-List actor in maybe the most popular show on TV isn’t a normal job. I’m actually a bit surprised that their salaryisn’t higher. Sure, that’s a great amount of money, but the importance of the main actors of the show is even greater. They’re the “faces” of the show by now. The show was fine after recasting the roles of Darrio and their like, but when we’re talking about a recast of someone like Dany or Jon at this point, HBO will most likely feel quite the backlash from the audience.

    Considering there must be atleast 30 actors, who are regulars, on contract with HBO at any given point of time, the lead actors were always going to get paid less as compared to other big shows. Still, if I am not mistaken their salaries have been doubled as compared to their previous contracts? That’s good enough, I guess.

  49. grimezzzx,

    Why is that an ouch? So many well-respected actors and actresses went that route. Many of award-winning artists came from that background.

  50. Ginevra,

    I’m pretty sure it is not counting those they aren’t in. If an actor gives them horrible negotiations, D&D can give in and then kill them off quickly after the contracts are signed, which might be what happened to Ser Barristan Selmy and which definitely happened with Ros

    wow, that sounds very Godfatherish to me….So they change the story because they want someone to die early? So Selmy might have survived to have given Dany better advice if he’d only agreed to their price? Wow, thats I’ve heard making changes to a script but that brings it to a whole new level…

    What about Alfie? He should be getting lots more for the fantastic job he’s done.

  51. Ginevra: I saw what Ravyn said after I posted.I trust everything she says.She definitely knows more than I do:I was making an educated guess.

    You can’t imagine how petty contract negotiations get in the entertainment business. I remember when I did my first deal memo for a writing job, my agent showed me the contract and it had a clause that said, ‘studio shall provide 2 DVD copies of completed film upon home video release’. I asked my agent, “We have to state that?” And she just rolled her eyes, “Trust me. You have to state in writing EVERYTHING. Right down to how you want your name spelled, so if they misspell it, we can complain to the guild and have the correct spelling written down. That’s why these things take months to finish.” It’s not unwarranted, but the attention to detail is staggering.

  52. Alfie,

    Sophie turner isn’t that strong of an actress… the show tricks you by not-including any scene from her that would require a huge emotional demand (IE finding about her mother and brother’s deaths, for example)

    If you need more evidence, just watch the new x-men movie.

  53. Ginevra: I don’t know.There’s absolutely a synergistic effect in acting.We could feel it every single freaking time that Maisie got paired with Essie Davis – wow, what a difference, right?So yes.Maisie may pale normally in her scenes compared to Sophie.But as much as I love Sexy Jesus and the Waif, they aren’t in the same ballpark with Dinklage, Lena, Natalie Dormer, and almost all of the awesome King’s Landing folks that Sophie had for years.Maisie gets to carry the scenes all by her lonesome.That’s almost impossible to do, as we see with even Dinklage when there’s just Missandei and Greyworm.

    I’m with you here. Goodness, Maisie’s been fantastic since season 1. Her scenes with Ned, with Tywin, with the Hound… all superb performances. And that scene with Essie when she was telling her how she’d feel if someone kills her son… so subtle yet powerful.

  54. Cersei is going to last long enough for Jaime to get his hands around her neck. Jaime will last out to the coming of Dany and Tyrion. Cersei is going to be sitting the throne until her death. Jaime will be next in line after her. What a dilemma for Tyrion? He wants Cersei sitting the throne, but gets Jaime when he arrives.

  55. Stark Raven’ Rad:
    I noticed the credit change for the two of them early this season.I think the outcry over Sansa’s ‘rape’ last year got her a lot of attention from the public and D&D have made sure to empower her this season, perhaps well beyond what GRRM had planned.I count Sophie as one of the most wooden GoT performers.She has a pretty but fairly unexpressive face, a monotonic voice, and about five body positions.She conveys what she has to, but Sansa is mainly a passive character and doesn’t get to emote much. Maisie is a firecracker, can hold her own in repartee with Sean Bean, Charles Dance, and Rory McCann, et al and do action as well. Just because Sansa is becoming part of the ruling class, I don’t think Sophie deserves a credit title to herself. If anything, they should be credited together. And trust me….Sophie is no Meryl Streep.

    You nailed that one on the head. Maisie doesn’t have the same ‘Hollywood’ aspirations, as she’s said herself, and I see her having a long career with a variety of roles that continue to show how versatile she is. A lot of people base success on how big a name you are in the United States, but a show like Game of Thrones really shows how some actors who are veterans in the UK and beyond, on film and stage, shine. Maisie holding her own as Arya against Dance, Bean, McCann, Wlaschiha, and other established older actors has been great.

    I agree about Sophie’s range or lack thereof (while i dislike Sansa, I think Sophie is fine and the only thing that really irritates me about her in real life is her constant head-cold voice, which isn’t her fault). I was disappointed that her Jean Grey role wasn’t as big of a departure as I thought it’d be. I think she’ll be fine in the typical dime a dozen, tall slim blonde Hollywood roles, but LA is a fickle beast.

    Fortunately, if they both wanted to become welders at this point, they could do whatever they wanted with wise investing. ?

  56. Nadia,

    I can see Masie having a Meryl Streep or Jodie Foster type trajectory to her career. She’s too talented to not get critical recognition & I believe she has some interest in direction. I hope this series gives her the financial freedom to do what she wants with her future :). You don’t just need a good agent you need a good accountant, lol.

  57. Ravyn,

    8 episodes each year? Not gonna happen. It’s pretty well-established by now that the last two seasons are most likely only going to have 7 episodes each at the most. If D&D’s comments are anything to go by, one having six and one having seven is probably how it’s going to unfold.

  58. Black Raven: Its not surprising that HBO and the show runners have decided to reduce the number of episodes in the remaining seasons down to seven if they have to wedge out those sorts of salaries to the actors!

    This season had a cost of $100,000,000 for filming, not including marketing, and I’m not even sure if salaries are included in that number. – But even if they’re, when you’re handeling that kind of money, a few millions here and their to keep the cast happy do not matter anymore. They reason season 7 and 8 will most likely get fewer seasons isn’t money, it is time. D&D have said so time and time again. GoT is the one big hit HBO has right now, if D&D need more money, they pretty much only have to asked for it at this point.

  59. grimezzzx,

    It’s tragic how Maisie is destined for something far from a Hollywood career. And she seems to know it, sadly. Oh well, there’s always indie film. Or maybe she can be in some HBO miniseries after the role is done.

    Why would you say that? No one should put limits on what she can do, shes still a young actress, look how far shes come. I suspect she’s going to go just as far as she wants to (given of course her desire to continue acting; the actor playing Joffrey left and seems to be quite fine out of the spotlight)

  60. Pigeon: You nailed that one on the head. Maisie doesn’t have the same ‘Hollywood’ aspirations, as she’s said herself, and I see her having a long career with a variety of roles that continue to show how versatile she is. A lot of people base success on how big a name you are in the United States, but a show like Game of Thrones really shows how some actors who are veterans in the UK and beyond, on film and stage, shine. Maisie holding her own as Arya against Dance, Bean, McCann, Wlaschiha, and other established older actors has been great.

    DireWolfHeart:
    Nadia,

    I can see Masie having a Meryl Streep or Jodie Foster type trajectory to her career. She’s too talented to not get critical recognition & I believe she has some interest in direction. I hope this series gives her the financial freedom to do what she wants with her future :). You don’t just need a good agent you need a good accountant, lol.

    I totally agree with both of you. I’m amused at someone here who’s insinuating it’s a bad and sad thing that Maisie can only take the versatile/serious/indie actress career path and not the superstardom/Hollywood career trajectory.

  61. Sean C.,

    I think for this season (regardless, he had to keep a huge secret from everyone) Kit made almost $1mil (I think it was actually £684,000) per episode? That’s pretty on par with the major players on cable TV, I think?

  62. ash:
    Ginevra,

    wow, that sounds very Godfatherish to me….So they change the story because they want someone to die early? So Selmy might have survived to have given Dany better advice if he’d only agreed to their price? Wow, thats I’ve heard making changes to a script but that brings it to a whole new level…

    What about Alfie? He should be getting lots more for the fantastic job he’s done.

    I don’t know that it was the negotiations that did it, but D&D almost flat out said there was one difficult actor who got written out because he was so difficult – or something very close to that sentiment. Fans speculated Selmy because his story seemed far from over. And I think they also said or at least implied that one actress was written out because she added a nudity clause, which every big actress did after the first two seasons of Game of Porn and they got away with it because they were big. Not so with little Ros, we think.

  63. Damn there went my tinfoil theory!

    Jaime’s smirk in the preview made me wonder why he was at the twins, that’s north of river run. I was under the impression he wanted to get back to cersei asap. So i thought maybe he has the lannister men kill the freys and then….wait for it…bam! It was arya with jaime’s face. lol but for that to happen jaime would have to be dead. oh well, my theory will not come to pass, but it would’ve been an awesome twist!

  64. Ginevra,

    Did D and D say that? I remember them saying that one of the actors got upset after he read the scripts and found out that he had been killed off, even though he had a bigger role in Adwd. People rightly guessed this was Ian McElhinney. I never heard them say he was difficult to work with.

  65. Nadia,

    Bran is in a really weird place in terms of profile. Among his siblings he’s arguably been a “lead” the longest, in the sense that once Robb packed up and left Winterfell in episode 108 he was the only significant character in Winterfell, and, apart from Theon’s drop-in in Season 2, he’s been isolated from the rest of the show ever since. He’s a lead character, because there’s nobody else his storyline could conceivably be about. But, for some of the same reasons, he generally feels very marginal to the show, to the point where he was absent for a whole season and it generally prompted a shrug from viewers. Things have picked up in Season 6, but even then it’s less about him than the exposition being conveyed. In the early seasons Sophie, Maisie and Isaac were often discussed as a trio, but these days the girls are so far above him in terms of profile that that would scarcely come across now.

  66. Kit Harington got a higher billing than Emilia Clarke in the last episode. I wonder if this was a one-episode thing or will it be permanent. I kinda want him to remain fifth in the credits list as it seems fitting that his name should appear next to the dragon sigil 🙂 .

  67. Sean C.:
    Nadia,
    In the early seasons Sophie, Maisie and Isaac were often discussed as a trio, but these days the girls are so far above him in terms of profile that that would scarcely come across now.

    Isaac is on the same footing as Maisie in terms of how well he’s known, I’d say.

  68. grimezzzx,

    This is not hatred towards Sophie, I think she’s a fine actress but she is definitely not better than Jennifer Lawrence. Have you seen Winter’s Bone? She was awesome in that movie. Jennifer was the best Katniss the studio could have found. She was basically able to act out an internal POV solely with her eyes and facial expressions. She may not always be able to hit it out of the park in her movies but she’s a great talent. Sophie will most likely get better given how young she is but at this point Lawrence is definitely better as is Alicia Vikander by the way. But both Sophie and Maise were great finds by the producers.

  69. ghost of winterfell,

    I’ve never quite understood how and why the billing order changes from episode to episode within a season. I’ve seen people argue that it’s based on screentime, but that really doesn’t hold up when you look at it. Kit was ahead of Emilia last episode, as you note, and Sophie vaulted ahead of a bunch of people too for the first time.

    grimezzzx,

    Arya is maybe the most popular character on the show other than Tyrion and perhaps Dany (though the latter is divisive). I think that puts Maisie as much more recognizable.

  70. HBO is pretty stingy with paying its actors! 😀 But I guess, the payoff is that actors make contact with hosts of talented people while working for HBO, and also, they remain on HBO’s radar for years to come!

    Sam: She could go the route of actresses like Felicity Jones (non-stardom type of artists)?

    Ummm…. Felicity Jones a non-stardom type artist? You do know that she is the lead in the Star Wars spin-off coming out at the end of the year, Rogue One, right? That movie is going to make buckets of money all over the world and she’ll be a household name by December! 🙂

  71. ghost of winterfell:
    Ginevra,

    Did D and D say that? I remember them saying that one of the actors got upset after he read the scripts and found out that he had been killed off, even though he had a bigger role in Adwd. People rightly guessed this was Ian McElhinney. I never heard them say he was difficult to work with.

    D&D never said a name. They did say that the guy threw one hell of a fit when they told him, and they were like, this is exactly why…. At least, I think I remember hearing that in an interview. It’s so hard to find these things, though.

    Abyss:
    Ginevra,

    Are you sure about Ros? I never heard anything about that. Do yo have a source for it?

    Again, names were never officially mentioned when D&D were discussing, but I think I remember that they fired someone early on, before George was through, and that they implied it was for that reason and that the speculation was that Ros was the one. Please, someone who has a better memory than I do confirm or deny. This was a while back, obviously.

  72. Danny:
    grimezzzx,

    But both Sophie and Maise were great finds by the producers.

    I’m continually impressed by how well the casting department does, particularly with children who have grown into adults in the time span of the show. I can’t imagine anyone other than Maisie, Sophie, and Isaac in those roles.

    Hoping Alfie Allen continues to find good roles (he was great in John Wick). He’s as good with his expressions as Iain Glen in saying everything without a word.

  73. Kay,

    As far as Maisie’s Hollywood prospects go, I know Guillermo del Toro, among others, has expressed a desire to work with her. Given how popular Arya is, as well, I expect she’ll get her shot (it matters less if you’re a bit different from the standard Hollywood appearance if you’re already popular).

  74. grimezzzx,

    I suggest you watch a television movie called “Cyberbully.” Maisie basically carries the entire movie herself and is amazing in it. She has incredible range and can pull of a lot more than “snarky cool kid.”

  75. Sean C.: As far as Maisie’s Hollywood prospects go, I know Guillermo del Toro, among others, has expressed a desire to work with her.

    I have no idea about Maisie’s Hollywood prospects! My comment was about Felicity Jones’ “non-stardom” career, which I found amusing, given FJ is the lead in a Star Wars spin-off movie, with the Star Wars franchise being the biggest franchise in the world to date.

  76. Kay,

    I meant how Felicity started. Good thing she’s being recognized now by the Hollywood bigwigs and will now star in a blockbuster franchise! She’s one of my fave actresses ever since she appeared in Doctor Who.

  77. Sean C.,

    I thought the actors’ billing order does not change within a season, that’s why I was a bit surprised to see Kit ahead of Emilia.

  78. ghost of winterfell,

    Maybe it was just in recognition of how much work he put into the episode. I think Kit deserves whatever raise he may get, he’s proven he can carry episodes on his shoulders.

  79. Sean C.,

    Very true – Bran is essentially a conduit for the exposition he brings. His scenes are so rarely even about him. Even the big The Door piece, it was Meera and Hodor that brought all the dramatic tension there.

    I wonder if that changes next season. I didn’t think we were going to get Bran ever leave the cave in the books, but now that he could go south to the Wall, it opens up so many possibilities

  80. Maisie went toe to toe with Charles Dance for some of the most brilliantly acted scenes this show has produced.

    She’s incredible. She hasn’t always been given the most thrilling material, but she’s really something. I think Sophie’s grown in the last couple of years, but I’m not sure she could’ve done what Maisie did years ago.

  81. Danny,

    I agree.

    Nadia,

    Bran did not get a single scene to show how traumatized he must have been after the events in “The Door”, and how he has been handling it, these scenes would have been crucial to show his character development, the show has not addressed this aspect at all.

  82. QueenofKnowingNothing:
    Sean C.,

    I think for this season (regardless, he had to keep a huge secret from everyone) Kit made almost $1mil (I think it was actually £684,000) per episode? That’s pretty on par with the major players on cable TV, I think?

    Blimey… £684K per episode ! No wonder he recently moved into a fabulous house in the UK along with his GoT girlfriend Ygritte (Rose Leslie) 😮

    However, I don’t begrudge those in life who fall on their feet and become big earners. Best of luck to them. The well know expressions such as: ‘Its not what you know BUT WHO you know’ and ‘Being in the right place at the right time’ certainly must come into the equation in the entertainment profession I’m sure?

    I worked for 40 odd years as an electronics service engineer and never made £684K during all that time. My average annual wage was ~£25K to £30K, but that was only after 1995 when I got a promo, but in 2002 I was made redundant and forced to take early retirement! Before then my annual salary was considerably lower!

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I obviously made the wrong fucking choice of a career and in retrospect perhaps should have gone to a drama school instead of a technical college … As they say ‘Shit Happens!” hehe 😀

  83. Better news would have been that Brian Cogman is in the first stages of putting together a writer/producer team for a Game of Thrones spinoff with HBO executives to start up shortly after Game of Thrones ends…

    Wouldn’t that be a fucking dream?

  84. Well this news has certainly lessened the impact of the finale for me. I thought perhaps Jaime or Cersei were going to perish.

    Oh well, at least Nikolaj is going to make some bank next season 🙂

  85. Ginevra,

    What they said was when the actor said they can’t kill him now he still has lot of material left( i guess he also gave how he can be written in the next season ),..so that only made them want him kill more ..

    But you do realize they have already written the character dead and the actor throws fit when they revealed the news to him…so them making him die never was about that fit ..

    And yes it was confirmed to be ian playing barristan
    After watching season 6 and how tyrion ended up doing most of dany’s story from ADWd and how they ended the battle…. Barrisstan didn’t have a role to play and his death happened at the right time in the show..

    Same goes for ros or oona they served their purpose..

    The only persons I remember having a problem with writers was Greatjon umber and first Darrio

  86. QueenofKnowingNothing:
    Sean C.,

    I think for this season (regardless, he had to keep a huge secret from everyone) Kit made almost $1mil (I think it was actually £684,000) per episode? That’s pretty on par with the major players on cable TV, I think?

    I hope the source is reliable because tha means they will cut his salary for season 7 !
    Fanfiction salaries…..

  87. Alfie,

    100% agree, Kit and Emilia are also young but Sophie, Maisie and Isaac deserve more budget, they are MAIN characters as well

  88. 6 seasons latet and people still dont accept Nikolaj and Lena are among leads in the show !The dont pay them for being old,they pay them because the need their characters in the story!They are second and third billed!!
    I will not comment on Nikolaj being a bad actor…worse than Sophie and Maisie because i love the girls and i dont want to be mean to them.
    Their fans should think before write though !!He had the best acting scene in the show so far!!
    Also all this Sophie vs Maisie!!Stop it!!
    They are close friends and have the same career,Maisie will be in an X-men movie too and Apocalypse wasnt even well received by critics or box office!Just stop it !!! They will sign their contracts and HBO will pay them what they believe !150000 are already huge for 20 years old

  89. This escalated 🙂
    It’s the most popular show on television-a worldwide sensation-and without Dany, Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion and Jon there wouldn’t be a show so, it makes sense. And that’s not even… I mean the cast of Friends? Anyone remember that show? No dragons, just coffee shops. At the top of their popularity they were earning 1 million per episode. A piece. And that was in 2002 I think.
    All the main actors on this show-including the Stark kids-are getting paid very well, I’m sure and will have their pick of parts for a while, due to the show’s exposure.
    The casting was great and everyone, imo, is perfect for their parts. For example, I can’t imagine another actress in the world who could have become Brienne the way Gwendoline has. Same with Davos. And anyone who thinks NCW isn’t an amazing actor after seeing his scene in the bath in the Kissed by Fire episode is high. And yes-Maisie got Arya in a way that was incredibly impressive for someone so young.
    They are all fantastic.
    I don’t really care how much they’re making-no matter what it’s more than I make and they’re so young. I just hope they make good investments and also splurge now and then on their family and friends.
    Frankly I’m just happy Jaime isn’t dying on Sunday and still has a chance to make better life choices. 🙂

  90. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    ArgonathofBraavos,

    If Cersei and Jaime die, there is no one left to oppose Dany.There’s no Young Griff. Euron will probably be an obstacle, but the audience isn’t as invested in him, and he is simply a villain.

    I’ve been wondering about this for a while. It doesn’t seem like their are enough obstacles for TV-Dany once she reaches Westeros, especially if Cercei blows up Kings Landing and destroys the alliance with the Tyrell’s.

  91. I’m a little disappointed that Finn Jones didn’t get more time this year aside from his one episode earlier on and now next week (whether he lives past it I am not too confident!) He really is a good actor and I would have liked him to get more of a story. Still, I suppose there’s so much going on already that they can’t do that with everyone.

  92. Chad Brick,

    Even if they are alive they are not going to be that much of an opposition for her..

    I think dany’s only opposition is going to be WW and winter they bring with them..

    I fully believe that dothraki and dragons are intended for war of the dawn and dany’s purpose lies beyond the wall and with NK..

    Most people forget about the vision of her at the wall when talking about blown up KL in HoTU.

  93. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    If Cersei dies, and the Tyrell’s take control of the Seven Kingdoms, then they will face Dany and her horde. That would give the proceedings of the last two seasons a fresh air. Cersei has become one-note and boring to me, and her scheming is no longer interesting/ horrifying to watch.

    But I think Jaime should live to become the head of the Lannister family, and to enter into an uneasy alliance with the North, which will oppose both Tyrell authority and the White Walkers, and ally themselves with Dany and the Iron Born.

    Until, of course, all of Westeros unites against the White Walkers. And their new king, Bran.

    That said, I think what will happen is that the Tyrell’s and the Faith Militant (and the whole city) will all be burned to the ground in episode 10. Cersei and Jaime will move the capital of the Seven Kingdoms to Lannisport (which I can’t believe we still haven’t seen), they will try to wrest control back from the North and Dorne, but will ultimately be sacked and destroyed by Dany and her horde, who will ally themselves with the North (and Dorne). Then the coalition of Dany-Sansa/Jon/Arya-Yara-Ellaria will take on the White Walkers, and the new Night King, Bran.

  94. dragonbringer,

    Euron, Cersei will be her opponents and White Walkers. She will not go straight to fighting White Walkers. She need to spend some time in the South. I would say 4 or 5 episodes. Dragons and Dothraki are to fight Walkers but she needs to go through others before fighting them. Northerners will fight them first, before the word gets to Daeny and others. We don’t need like 13 episodes of dragons vs walkers. Just a few because it would get boring. Northerners will get slaughtered an when dragons came all of sudden we have equals and I don’t think that the Wall will fall down in the finale.

  95. grimezzzx,

    Agreed with everything you said, let’s not forget that some of this dislikes towards Sophie’s acting is directly related to those people’s mindset about her character.

  96. That means that kit earned nearly a million dollar for playing dead lol.Well done he nailed those scenes just kidding he more than made up for it in the last episode that was like a month’s work and amazing.Tbh I’m surprised that people hadn’t realized that this is the a-tier cast.It’s clear watching the show or if not just the opening credits they are the first five billed.Considering what a phenomenon got is it’s not even that much money for hollywood standards.I mean the cast of friends or jim parsons got paid one million an episode for playing a sitcom.But I suppose since this is a cable show has a big production cost and not a single actor has that much screentime it makes sense.And I’m not surprised about lena and nikolaj I’ve always thought they would die in season seven it’s too soon now.You can’t do 13 episodes of dragons vs ww anyway it would get boring fast plus no way they can afford it

  97. Maggie: 6 seasons latet and people still dont accept Nikolaj and Lena are among leads in the show !The dont pay them for being old,they pay them because the need their characters in the story!They are second and third billed!!

    I don’t know, some of their scenes have felt very repetitive and unnecessary this season. For the most part they are not really necessary in the end game. The show have given them a bigger importance, than what might be necessary.

    They will not be very helpful against Dany. I think the cold and the actual weather conditions can be a bigger opposition to Dany than anything else. Dany and the Dothraki does not know winter or cold conditions. I think they could really struggle in Westeros.
    I think it might be more likely that the biggest opposition for Dany will be the Starks.

  98. Nadia:
    Kay,

    She’s also really conventionally beautiful – tall, slim, Hollywood.

    This statement includes a reason why I believe Maisie isn’t garnering even more attention. She’s very short… You add six inches to her barely over five foot height and her talent and work on GoT opens many more roles. The talent is obvious but how many leading roles do we see for women so short? They’d normally be restricted to roles as a girl or with leading men that are also very short.

  99. Boudica,

    You really think Jon with White Walkers behind him would try to oppose Daeny? Or Sansa? Come on. Bran got to be ready for the Night’s King, Arya nope. If anything they’ll be allies.

  100. Not surprised as these have been the five major players so far

    But they are also relevant to the story, but I expect some to go down

    Eg Jaimie and Cersei, will hopefully go back to CR , I expect Tyrion, Jon and Dany to die but right at the very end

    Dinklage is interesting, either they’ll have to give him something more meaningful than the joke scenes designed to show the fledgeling humanity of people who were once considered property.

    If Dany does invade Westeros from the south, then Tyrion negotiating surrender etc should achieve this

    Interesting not to hear Maisie WIlliams or Sophie Turner there, but they weren’t adults when this started so probably has to do with transitioning from child actor rates to adult rates?

  101. Geralt of Rivia,

    Opponents yes but the real struggle she will be facing is WW and their winter ..

    Next season is going to be her taking westeros and fighting euron and cersei ..and then there south will be united like how after Ramsey dying north is united under stark this year

    So north is back with satrk
    And south needs to be with targs.

    But the real threat reminds north of wall..

    I think benioff said perfectly how her opponents must feel right now ..

    That said iam looking forward to watching what Euron willbe doing next episode.. That will give us some idea how big an opponent he will be

  102. hmmm personally I would put myself on the side that recognises Jaimie and Cersei as major actors

    In terms of the show they are included very early together, observing Jon Arryn’

    Story wise their actions are at the heart of most thing, eg their children and the War of 5 Kings,

    Can only see Jon Dany and Bran as the major characters insofar as the major story arc of the Others/White Walkers is concerned

  103. So, as Cersei survives this season, this means Arya will not cross any more names of her list. Lady Stoneheart confirmed?

    And don’t start whining I should stop. The cast itself won’t stop about it, and it’s a major book plot point.

  104. Upon rewatching the episode I can say how there was leaks that said jon was protected by some magic that Mel cast ..

    While most noticed the jon having a similar moment like dany’s mhysa..
    There was also this line which shows another parallel among them..
    Jon and GW had the same dialogue about fighting and dying for their men

    Both will fight for the people that will fight for them while their opponents won’t do that

  105. Boudica: I don’t know, some of their scenes have felt very repetitive and unnecessary this season. For the most part they are not really necessary in the end game.The show have given them a bigger importance, than what might be necessary.

    They will not be very helpful against Dany. I think the cold and the actual weather conditions can be a bigger opposition to Dany than anything else. Dany and the Dothraki does not know winter or cold conditions. I think they could really struggle in Westeros.
    I think it might be more likely that the biggest opposition for Dany will be the Starks.

    I thought nobody was as repetitive and unnecessary as Dany and Tyrion this season. 9 episodes the same scenes.
    They will not be against Dany, this is a theory.
    For all we know Cersei may be killed by Jon after the great battle. Jaime may marry Jon and together rule the realm.
    We don’t know what is important in the endgame. What we know is that since first season Nikolaj and Lena had been considered progonists of the series and the continue so. HBO has created this group of 5 “main characters” and together with Sophie and Maisie they are the face of Game of Thrones.
    Still after 6 seasons people are surprised by this. Even the titles before the episode make it clear.

  106. Love the picture in the headline by the way editors

    That was my favourite part of the E10 Preview lol, the WHite bird of WInter

  107. dragonbringer,

    Oh like this. winter conditions and walkers will be hard for Dothraki, Daeny and Dragons. Dothraki are ill equipped for fighting in winter conditions. This where Northerners and Jon comes into the picture and help them. They know winter. Also their knowledge of them. Bran will probably make it to the Winterfell and tell Jon about them and maybe his parentage. Euron got to have something as ace in the hole because his charm ain’t gonna work. We’ll see if he attacks Oldtown.

    Otherwise agree North, Vale maybe Riverlands with Starks. South with Daeny. Riverlands depends if they march Southand liberate them but not sure about this.

  108. Guys the first 19 non-bonus soundtracks are already on youtube. I’m on the phone so it’s bothersome to link. Just search for the channel name TheNewGringoMedia.

  109. dragonbringer,

    Jon was simply lucky. Sapochnik talked about it that battles involves horror and luck. Those who survive are the lucky ones.

    What I found interesting is that Jon told Mel not to bring him back. Yet, in the battle when he was under pile of those bodies, he chooses life by himself. So essentially he was reborn not thanks to Mel or anyone but himself. Through sheer will because he could’ve stayed there. He choose otherwise.

    Jon and GW parallel was nice.

  110. dragonbringer,

    Those leaks were added on by some random person, it was not the original (and genuine) leaker who said that. Yeah, they were fake, as was the part about Jon asking Sansa “what took you so long”.

    I read about the similarities too. I was particularly impressed with the similarity between the Mhysa/ Jon’s “rebirth” scene, the difference in the color palette for the two scenes were so distinctive and they fit the fire and ice theme, respectively.

    Other similarities:
    I love how Tormund used the Brienne technique to defeat Smalljon, biting and tearing off a chunk of his flesh, these two are made for each other!!

    Three of the four Starks this season got their own badass exits this season. Jon at the end of “Oathbreaker”, Arya at the end of “No One” and Sansa at the end of “BotB”. Poor Bran, though 🙁 .

  111. Mihnea,

    i hope it’s used in the next episode in a certain burn them all scene, or that will be hear me roar and the light of the seven is pre-wildfire?

  112. So “Trust Each Other” is not about Jon and Sansa. It’s from the battle or maybe they’ll use it for them in the finale.

  113. steffan,

    Something like that.

    Will start with light of the seven and it will slowly turn into hear me roar.

    Also good to remember, that they might not use the entire soundtrack in the episode itself. Although I pray they do, it is simply outstanding.

    I listened to it at work and my friends thought it was classical music, they couldn’t even imagine it is from a fantasy TV show.

  114. The Winds of Winter is awesome and I have an idea what they mixed together and what will be last scene,

  115. Geralt of Rivia,

    I think people are going to be VERY surprised by the Winds of Winter track. It has nothing to do with what people are expecting. The title doesn’t fit whatsoever, obviously it was chosen because it’s the episode title, since the track will likely feature in the last scene + credits.

  116. ghost of winterfell,

    Geralt of Rivia,

    Yeah I agree with what you are saying …I was saying that how one can be mistaken and have that idea without Miguel or benioff saying it was luck ..

    Yes now I believe he wants to live

    The ice and fire theme is always there between them ..

    Speaking of ice and fire I believe this will help posters like Ygritte and others to understand more about dany that we dont get to see in show and jon and how much they share parallels.. Hope it helps ..
    http://oadara.tumblr.com/post/146202045786/ice-and-fire-jon-x-dany-i-mean-fire-is-love

  117. I think it is a good thing that the five of them are negotiating as a group. Yes, it does make their arguments stronger, but it also demonstrates the camaraderie that has grown with them through the seasons. And if we look at other shows – such as The Big Bang Theory and Friends, I think that negotiating as a group – as these 5 are – prevents tensions among the actors regarding wages. But even within The Big Bang Theory, as far as I understand it, there is tiered wages among the credited permanent cast? And we should be under no illusions with regards to these 5 being the “main cast”. If you look back at early press from I think around season 2 onwards, the five of them were regularly pushed forward by HBO.

    These negotiations do not guaranteed that their characters will survive season 7 never mind the mooted and yet-to-be-announced season 8. The writers clearly love writing for Lena – understandable given her performance – so I can see them keeping her and Nikolaj around as long as possible. I’ve had a feeling ever since the truncated seasons 7 and 8 starting being discussed that they would use season 7 to wrap up the main political stories and work through as many of the inter-human conflicts as possible and season 8 would focus on the white walkers (though I am sure there will be some skirmishes in season 7). Cersei isn’t someone I see being involved in the second of those conflicts. I think they will keep her around until the end of season 7 at the latest, but she won’t be in season 8. The valonqar moment would be a good way to conclude her story at the end of season 7.

    As for Maisie and Sophie, I think they are both terrific young actresses with different strengths and as such it perhaps isn’t helpful to try and compare them. There are many different types of actor/actress and I wouldn’t put Maisie and Sophie forward for the same role. Same project, yes, but not the same role.

  118. So awesome my hype level for the next episode just exploded.

    Light of the seven is brilliant and then there is of course the winds of winter ..

    We now know what’s the ending scene of the season.

  119. Jenny:
    Markus Stark,

    I agree to me listening to the music it’s simply dany leaving for westeros

    Yup, so we now know what the final scene of the season is going to be.

    It seems an amalgamation of a lot of Dany tracks. So this will be the third of 6 seasons to end with Dany. This was always likely, I guess
  120. dragonbringer:
    Chad Brick,

    And I notice you saying TV dany but I think the same goes for book as well.

    fAegon is one book-specific problem. Book-Euron is far more of an obstacle. Also, the maesters are anti-magic / dragon.

    . If both media have a vacuum in kings Landing and a non-hostile north, what’s to stop her?

  121. ghost of winterfell,

    There was only two possible ending
    1) dany sailing for westeros..

    2) Nk make the wall fall..

    As others have said it will be too soon to have wall falling because north will be finished in couple of episodes which means dragons vs ww for 13 episodes we can’t have that ..

    As for the ending Iam starting to think it will be like LF’s chaos is a ladder monologue.. But this time we have varys giving a speech in dorne and dany and tyrion set sail..
  122. dragonbringer,

    It’s more of wishful thinking from fans. Jon is a just an ordinary dude, who is fighting like one of his soldiers.

    I think both Jon and Daeny shares traits with Aragorn. While Daeny might be the destined one, Jon is doing what Aragorn was doing. Leading on the battlefield. Remember what he told Legolas at the Helm’s Deep “If he dies, he’ll die as one of them.” Which goes to his speech to Ramsay. Jon is ready to die for his men, Ramsay not. He can inspire men like at Hardhome but emotions got better of him at Battle Of The Bastards. While Daeny riding dragons, he could lead them from the ground.

    I just hope they’re not gonna make them couple. Don’t like the idea, family yes, support each other they could. Lovers it’s just so overdone and cliche. Two main heroes, finding each other and falling in love.

  123. “Maester” is most definitely Sam. Really looking forward to seeing Oldtown finally.

  124. Geralt of Rivia,

    Did you read it.

    For me its not about them becoming a couple ..you see how much they both have in common which most of this fandom never gets ..

    GrRm has comapared dany with aragorn twice ..
    But the reason I linked that because some people may understand more about dany’s inner thoughts which we are missing in the show..
    Its not about who is leading or flying a dragon or fighting in the ground at all..

    Just some insights about dany and her parallel with jon so people may understand her bit more ..

    Chad Brick,

    I always believed YG will be long gone before dany sets sail .

    Euron yes I want to see how what they are doing with him in the show and how much threat he is going to be and next episode will give us some idea about him..

    But the maester /citadel one is what iam wondering most about and will be sad if show omitted it…because I fully believe they ate the reason for summer hall and deaths of dragons ..not only that but some of miscarriages and illness that targs got also because of them..I hope we get more about them ..
    There is a sound track called maester which means we may get old town next episode ( I still haven’t heard that one so I may be wrong )

  125. dragonbringer:

    I’ve never been able to understand why people have this notion that Ice and Fire is only representative of two characters. Where does this idea that ‘A song of Ice and Fire’ ultimately leads to some sort of union of Jon and Deanerys come from? Doesn’t that GRRM quote directly contradict this theory? Ice and Fire represent various plots and a wide variety of themes that make up the book..love, betrayal, revenge etc

  126. dragonbringer,

    I think they’ll do a bit of the Maester plot next season.

    It wouldn’t have really fit this season anyway. It will make more sense to do it once Dany reaches Westeros.

  127. dragonbringer,

    Yes, I did. I was talking about more in general. Some people use these to make a case for them to get romantically involved. Like it’s a destiny.

    I know parallels sort of shows they have much in common but I think people do recognize it or at least majority. Whether it’s Mhysa moment, rebirth if you watch behind the scenes footage of game of thrones. Which is why I said that family bond would be nice, support each other through common things and that they’re not so different. I understand your point but I just had to mention Aragorn because I was thinking about LOTR lately and Aragorn shares similarities with Jon and Daeny. Jon’s journey literally mirrors the one of Aragorn and George compared Daeny to him. Daeny also can be compard to Nymeria, Henry Tudor since Game Of Thrones takes inspiration even from War Of Roses.


  128. Geralt of Rivia,

    Yeah I understand your view about this …and if you remember I also have always said they will find a family with each other..
    I don’t care about if they end up as couples..

    I can understand that because those shots of jon facing cavalry is very much taken from LoTR .. george has taken inspirations from many things ..to me dany and jon mirror the most from Tad Williams memory sorrow and thorn series ..

    Mihnea,

    Yeah iam thinking the same thing.

    I really want a fiery justice on those maesters for egg and dunk and other targs

  129. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    I feel like Kit puts in more work than all of them. He routinely spends the most days on set and is usually doing a lot of physical work as well. So he definitely has earned it.

    QueenofKnowingNothing:
    Sean C.,

    I think for this season (regardless, he had to keep a huge secret from everyone) Kit made almost $1mil (I think it was actually £684,000) per episode? That’s pretty on par with the major players on cable TV, I think?

    I doubt Kit earns more than Dinklage or Lena, but if it’s true, I agree with Tyrion Pimpslap that he bloody well deserves it. It should be danger money if anything else. He, more than anyone puts his body on the line for our entertainment. I know the stunt coordinators are super careful (and so far the only injury he’s sustained was his own off-season drunken fault!) but hell. One of the stunt people last year sustained a really bad let fracture, and Kit does pretty much all of his own stunt work. Dude really commits.

    Also, the fact that those Big Bang guys make so much money is mind boggling. It’s one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen, and I should be it’s target audience i.e. a poculture nerd and a scientist (of sorts, not sure medicine counts really). It’s painfully unfunny, in my opinion.

  130. Daughter of Winter,

    I think you hit the nail on the head. Sophie did brilliantly in the earlier seasons with such a passive role, Arya/Maisie by contrast had the chance to be more spunky and show more range. Saw a comment above that Sophie is not Meryl, had to laugh, why are you comparing a veteran to an actress still in the beginning stages of her career.

    Again pitting Maise against Sophie is silly, as is the passive aggressiveness towards Sophie securing more Hollywood roles. I’m pretty sure Maisie will be announced soon as a mutant for the X-Men spin-off, a role she understandably said she had to be quiet about. Both will continue to excel and GoT has been the perfect platform for both actresses.

    I think all of the cast deserve these huge salary bumps, a bit ridiculous but no less different than the negotiations for successful network shows. It’s a minor gripe that both Sophie and Maisie being under 21 affects their tier and salary bump, but honestly don’t think they’re complaining at all.

    Maisie and Arya are Arya and Sansa, I could no other actress playing them, both are favourites of mine and I can’t wait to see the rest of their respective journeys. STARK SISTERS ftw.

  131. I know there must be an obligation to have a star of Peter’s calibre on the show for as many episodes, but from a storytelling point of view I could have done without him being in every episode bar 1 so far. I swear we got 2-3 joke scenes which were painful to watch, I’m sorry!!

  132. iridium,

    I was particularly impressed with the fact that the scene where Jon faces the oncoming cavalry charge involved no CGI. That actually was Kit Harington facing 40 horses charging at him full speed. Any credit he gets for this battle is well deserved.

  133. ghost of winterfell,

    Kit has been exceptional this season. His post-resurrection melancholy makes sense and Kit has played that well. As for his action scenes, there is no one more committed.

  134. Boojam,

    Yes 8 seasons sounds realistic but only like 7 or 6 episodes per season. They can’t make 10 episode with this quality as D&D said it.

  135. Maggie: I thought nobody was as repetitive and unnecessary as Dany and Tyrion this season. 9 episodes the same scenes.
    They will not be against Dany, this is a theory.
    For all we know Cersei may be killed by Jon after the great battle. Jaime may marry Jon and together rule the realm.
    We don’t know what is important in the endgame. What we know is that since first season Nikolaj and Lena had been considered progonists of the series and the continue so. HBO has created this group of 5 “main characters” and together with Sophie and Maisie they are the face of Game of Thrones.
    Still after 6 seasons people are surprised by this. Even the titles before the episode make it clear.

    It isn’t a surprise, I said the show gives them more importance than what is needed within the story. It begins right at the start even when they were following the original story much closer. It makes sense at the start because they focus so heavily on Kings Landing, but as the story goes on we move away from Kings Landing.

    And actually we do know who is important in the end game, GRRM’s letter stated that Dany, Jon, Arya, Bran and Tyrion will survive until the end.

    Geralt of Rivia: You really think Jon with White Walkers behind him would try to oppose Daeny? Or Sansa? Come on. Bran got to be ready for the Night’s King, Arya nope. If anything they’ll be allies.

    It is more complicated than that.

    Dany has always seen Ned as one of the big ringleaders of the rebellion. The North is very big, and they have declared independence. Would Dany accept the North’s independence? That would be half of her Kingdom. No one actually believes that White Walkers exists.
    There is a lot of reasons why the Starks could easily become opposition to Dany. They have opposing goals and visions.

    I am not saying that they could not come to some agreement, but at first it seems obvious that they will be on opposite sides.

  136. Sean C.,

    Yeah, the FRIENDS cast made 1million dollars an episode for 24 episodes in the last few seasons of the show, and that was in 2000/2001!!!

  137. Stark Raven’ Rad,

    Im sorry, but I really don’t think D&D changed their scripts for season 6 last year during season five to please the entitled fans.

    This probably was their plan the whole time.

  138. The best part is Sophie Turner missing from the list!
    There’s still hope, she won’t make it… (not least for equality reasons, there’s an outrageous imbalance between the killed male and female Starks.)
    And this actress certainly deserves no more than $5.50 per episode.

  139. Corbyn Stark,

    I completely agree with you
    I just watched this scene you linked and it made me cry.

    Sophie and Maisie have VERY different roles to play. SO you see a wide range of emotions and actions between them. But there is no need to pin one over the other. They both convey emotional moments very well.

    I think they are equally good.

  140. People talking about the final scene of the finale…. some were covered in spoilers so I didn’t read them. But if it is Dany sailing to westeros then Dany haters are gonna break things!

  141. Boudica,

    Dany has always seen Ned as one of the big ringleaders of the rebellion.

    1)he is dead .
    2)Tyrion son of Tywin Lannister( another one from the same league ) is her advisor
    3)she had listened learned and accepted about her father

    The North is very big, and they have declared independence. Would Dany accept the North’s independence? That would be half of her Kingdom.No one actually believes that White Walkers exists.

    She has just allowed yara to ask of independence and also said others can ask as well .
    I do wonder how much independence they will be asking when WW comes

    Even people and lords of northt yet to believe in WWs ..so first north must be start believing in it ..
    And if anyone who can believe in WW then its dany who has seen and done magic herself .

    There is a lot of reasons why the Starks could easily become opposition to Dany. They have opposing goals and visions.

    Such as .

    If anything they must be understanding each other after all they went through ..
    Losing parents and home and everything
    Stark children and dany went through the same things and they have come out of it more stronger ..

    Take arya – she loves nymeria and dany is nymeria (compared by GrRm himself ) ..and she lost her dad and home and ended up as a begger and lost which is what dany’s early life is ..

    Take sansa – she has gone through the same trauma and sufferings that dany has gone through..both have been pawn in someone else games but ended players on their own right. .

    Take bran – he should be knowing dany by all his visions .

    And then there is of course jon..

  142. Dee Stark,

    It’s just speculation. We don’t know if Dany will have the final scene, though I would like it. Seriously her departing for Westeros is a no brainer, as a final shot.
    Especially as we had 2 Stark endings in a row, with Arya/Jon.

    Funny thing is that we know very little about the finale. I could guess 1 scene, based on different reports but all are indirect.

    I’m in the dark about everything else. So I am very excited for the episode!!

  143. I just listened to winter has come its another version of stark theme and I love it..it can’t be arya’s

    I believe this theme will be playing when the raven arrives at WF but iam looking forward to see how it plays on screen.

  144. OT:

    The director on where Ghost was:

    “[Ghost] was in there in spades originally, but it’s also an incredibly time consuming and expensive character to bring to life,” the episode’s director Miguel Sapochnik told Business Insider on Monday. “Ultimately we had to choose between Wun-Wun and the direwolf, so the dog bit the dust.”

    Also, they say in the article how WunWun is filmed… its crazy that while theyre actually filming, WunWun isn’t even there, so they react to something not there! So cool. WunWun scenes are filmed later. Crazy!

    http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-director-why-ghost-wasnt-in-battle-of-the-bastards-2016-6

  145. ghost of winterfell:

    I was particularly impressed with the fact that the scene where Jon faces the oncoming cavalry charge involved no CGI. That actually was Kit Harington facing 40 horses charging at him full speed. Any credit he gets for this battle is well deserved.

    Hear, hear!

  146. Pigeon:
    Huh. This throws me for a season finale loop. Good.

    I think Cersei will leave King’s Landing in chaos with Wildfire and escape to Casterly Rock. Jaime apparently will “pull a Blackfish” at the Twins and leave the scene before stuff goes down there…After he hears about King’s Landing and Tommen’s death, he’ll seek her out and kill her, and either die right there or head into the rest of his putative “redemption arc” (season 7)

    I’ll be very interested to see how exactly Jaime escapes the Twins, since I’m expecting an event there that won’t be beneficial to Frey and Lannister lives…

  147. Mihnea,

    That’s true. I wanted the wall to fall. But I guess not. I have no problems with Dany scenes. love her

    Really?
    I was going to stay away from the threads leading up to the finale because some people discuss spoilers openly. SO there are no spoilers left?

  148. Dee Stark,

    Couple of them. I could guess 1 or 2 scenes but not more.

    But do be careful. This is only filming stuff WOTW reported. There might have been leaks and such, but I do not read those.

    I would say be just as careful, it would be a shame if you would get a spoiler right before the finale.

  149. Flayed Potatoes,

    He is rooting for fellow bastard to sit on the Iron Throne ? .

    dragonbringer,

    Considering they have been spending all these years telling us that ” winter is coming” , it’s fitting that their theme plays when winter finally does come!!

    Dee Stark,

    The night is dark and full of spoilers! There are more spoilers out there, other than the ones that have been discussed so far. You will need to be a bit careful 🙂 .

  150. Geralt of Rivia:
    The Winds of Winter is awesome and I have an idea what they mixed together and what will be last scene,

    Yep. If that’s the last track, and it’s likely that it is, because the latter part sounds like credits music, I think it’s pretty clear what the last scene of the season is going to be…

  151. Dee Stark,

    Mihnea,

    I think the most obvious complaint will be that it shows D&D favor her because they gave 3 out of 6 season endings ..

    But totally forgetting that she got 2 out of 4 book endings she appeared in ( yes I count ADWd as her ending as well )

    I made this comment twice and does not appear in the page so hope third time is the charm ..

  152. The one thing that cannot happen yet is the Wall falling. If it falls now the NK and his army will be at the gates of Winterfell by episode 2/3 of next season and there is no way they will hold out against the NK unless the whole of Westeros (including Dany) unites against him.

    Besides we have some great intro’s to come with Tyrion introducing Dany to Jon, Bran, Sansa etc.(Pod too. That would be great to see as he and Pod were close) He is her bridge to the Stark family.

  153. I’m a bit surprised about Lena, I was pretty sure she was gonna die in ep10. Guess not. I do think she’ll die pretty early in season 7 though, maybe as the early episode big moment. Her arc seems like its basically wrapped up already, and as soon as Tommen’s dead, which should happen any day now, it will be over. Not sure what’s left for her to do, except get killed by Jaime, assuming he’s the little brother in question (it could’ve be Tommen, but I guess not).

    The other four all make sense as being the top tier and as surviving for a while longer. I don’t think Jaime’s story can end until he meets Tyrion again, and maybe Dany. Jon and Dany are clearly in the “we don’t die until the penultimate episode at the absolute earliest” camp and while Tyrion could seemingly die at any point, he’s not going to.

    Maise and Sophie being a tier below also make sense. They don’t get as much screen time, they don’t get publicized as faces of the show, and they aren’t veteran actors with pre-established credentials (Kit and Emilia weren’t either at first, but they’ve already done a bunch of other work since the show started; Sophie and Maise are starting to but haven’t caught up yet).

    I’d put Liam Cunningham at that second tier too. He’s probably the biggest name left on the show in a major role after the Lannister trio (Jonathan Pryce and Diana Rigg don’t count) and seems like he’ll continue to have a big role going forward.

  154. dragonbringer,

    Even if he connects with Daeny, he is a Northerner, Stark at heart just like Ned was. Nothing against Targaryens but it would forced and out of nowhere. He grew up all his life there. He could acknowledge this side but in the hearth he’ll alaways belong in the North. He has that stupid sense of honor like Ned. Seriously hoping they’re not gonna make him go Targaryen route. He could support Daeny for sure but let’s not forget where he came from. Daeny might be even willing to give them independence and be friendly.

    That moment when Jon drew a sword and faces cavalry was a bit like Stannis.

    I’m most interested in Sansa and Daeny conversations if there will be any. Or Daeny and Jaime, Cersei. But Cersei could die by hands of Jaime. Starks and Daeny wouldn’t be in conflict like war but disagreement could be there as to how approach war against walkers.

  155. I’m fine with the final scene being Dany leaving for Westeros. It should be a spectacle and is a long time coming.

    I hope “The Door” wasn’t the only time we see the NK and WW this season though. I hope we see them in the finale, but if they were making it to the Wall, i would think that would be the final scene.

  156. Flayed Potatoes,

    because ive seen many comments where people are annoyed with her big moments /ending scenes/ etc. and this wont be any different

    its so obvious shes going to westeros after episode 9, its not much a surprise so dany haters are gonna hate.

  157. Geralt of Rivia,

    Iam looking forward to how this meetings and conversation will be happening..

    Considering we have starks disagreeing with themselves its natural there will be some between dany as well.

    ygritte,

    You will find many using the quote ” fire consumes but cold preserves ” but many use it as mean fire as bad thing and ice as good. .
    But if you look around fire is the life and ice is death ..
    No one wants the long winter but long summer .

    If you have time please read that page …iam sure you will have more understanding of dany and how much she is like jon.

  158. Boudica: It is more complicated than that.

    Dany has always seen Ned as one of the big ringleaders of the rebellion. The North is very big, and they have declared independence. Would Dany accept the North’s independence? That would be half of her Kingdom. No one actually believes that White Walkers exists.
    There is a lot of reasons why the Starks could easily become opposition to Dany. They have opposing goals and visions.

    The North won’t even exist , Westeros won’t even exist without Dany’s help.
    If she survives I am not sure she will stay in Westeros.

  159. redxgod,

    When I read that last bit just now and envisioned these unlikely characters meeting up it hit me. Jon and Dany are both young, beautiful and empowered by the LoL. How do they notfall for each other in some way? Both are on missions, she to take the Kingdoms and reign, he to save the whole kingdom from annihilation. He will eventually see her arrival with dragons as a positive sign from the god (s) for use against the invasion of ice lords and will be able to convince her what is coming and how she must use them for the good of humanity not just personal agenda, and in return he’ll let her have the throne. Because Jon is honorable that way. Damn Jon, although when I really think about it I don’t want him to end up being king of Westeros. I want him to go on and lead a simple, happy life surrounded by love and family. No more having to fight or political intrigue bs.

  160. dragonbringer,

    When I clicked on that link it went to a page that just had a quote by GRRM. Need t sleep now but tomorrow I’ll go back up-thread and see where I might have missed something, cause it does sound quite interesting.

  161. Sean C.,

    Yes, but most of these actors are in an episode for 5, 10, 15 minutes. They don’t dominate the episode time like network TV stars do.

    If you’re in an episode for 10 minutes, that’s $50,000 per minute.

    Not too shabby.

  162. ygritte,

    Yeah it takes sometime to load the page even i had the same problem ..

    Sweet Summer Child,

    Greyworm ..I do hope Geralt understood what I was saying ..

    That dany is willing to fight and die for her people and men same way jon does for his men ..

    And hence why they both have been respected and loved

  163. Geralt of Rivia:
    Boudica,

    You really think Jon with White Walkers behind him would try to oppose Daeny? Or Sansa? Come on. Bran got to be ready for the Night’s King, Arya nope. If anything they’ll be allies.

    I am convinced Jon vs Daeny conflict will happen – for a while at least.

    Jon wont want a war vs dragons – but the North dsnt want to lose independence too. And Daeny’s a bit…well as stubborn as can be.

    Its clear Bran knows of Daeny’s dragons …. & as 3ER & Benjen said the North (& Jon) cant defeat NK w/o Bran – so with Bran as advisor he’ll convince Jon to allow Daeny and her dragons to save the world –

    It will be a reluctant alliance – not fairytale Jon-leads-soldiers / Daeny leads dragons / LoTR – type convenient hero’s conclusion –

    After Daeny defeats NK of course she’ll demand North for herself – pitting her against Jon …. this could be S8 – Tyrion though will be voice of reason n convince both sides to stand down – he had good relationship with Lord Snow anyways

    Besides, u gotta remember she’d have no sympathies for Starks as any sorta “good” ppl…to her:

    – Starks essential in Rob’s Rebellion – House Baratheon is finished – Tommen ( or Gendry !) cant do much to save that.
    Starks/North r the other reason for the Targ fall.

    – Daenerys is ignorant of Ned’s honour & nobility (poor Ned fell out with Robert cos he didnt want to have young Daeny assassinated) – and that the real criminals in all were Lannisters (with Rhaegars family + last min betrayal of Targs + “kingslayer”) – to her its probably more of a Stag-Wolf rebellion.

    – ATM at least shes no clue of NK threat on life itself either

    – No 7 kingdoms w/o North

  164. Jack Bauer 24:
    Is Tom Wlaschiha done with the show? Will we ever see Jaqen again?

    For all what I know he is making now more german films, he has done or is now in production one for the public-service TV broadcaster ZDF, and he’s starring in another Show called “Crossing Lines.

    But I’m happpy we’ll see Lena Headey and NCW more, because one of the reasons I have fallen in admiration with their characters Cersei and Jaime is their acting of them.

  165. Dee Stark,

    Let’s hope now Ghost will be present at battles. Still I would’ve liked at least one scene of Jon talking to one of his soldiers where is Ghost, he should scout or do something. Or even one scene of Jon and Ghost at the camp and saying to him to stay there.

  166. Maybe Lena Headey will play a WW in the next season. Doesn’t necessarily mean she survives.

  167. Geralt of Rivia,

    Ghost would have been messed up with all those arrows. I’m glad he wasn’t there, i don’t think i could have taken the loss of another direwolf lol

  168. Dee Stark,

    I think this will be an exception. I mean imagine her riding Drogon and all those ships finally sailing away from Mereen. Book fans and show only watchers will all be cheering that she’s heading to Westeros at last. Plus, if last episode is any indication, it will be a beautiful shot.

    Did you hear Winds of Winter from soundtrack? It’s gorgeous.

  169. Dee Stark:
    Flayed Potatoes,

    because ive seen many comments where people are annoyed with her big moments /ending scenes/ etc. and this wont be any different

    its so obvious shes going to westeros after episode 9, its not much a surprise so dany haters are gonna hate.

    I’m defo not Daeny hater – esp after last ep – but its seriously about time the North gets some epic final scene. Last North scene that had me squirm in admiration was probably “King in the North” for King Robb – its all been sad, tragic and at best heart warming since – after Boltins extinct and hopefullt Frey’s cooked nxt ep – give the Starks some glory please.
    After the three dragons last ep…theres no need for them to try to top it for. Daeny this ep – spend some CGI budget this way now please…

    I even hope for some more reminiscing by Jon & Sansa & other Lords over Ned, Robb & the old days as they see Stark colours fly over WF again (lemme wish!)

  170. HunterMac87:
    Geralt of Rivia,

    Yes my justification at first was this too. Jon would have known hed be safer at CB or in a camp away frm battle – but still a single mention of Ghost since resurrection ep wouldnt go amiss

  171. redxgod,

    Im so excited for those conversations. I hope we get something similar to the Greyjoy meeting. Tyrion catching up with Jon first, some light friendly conversation and mutual admiration, heard you’ve had your hands busy at the wall, an open acknowledgement that he was killed and brought back, white walker talk etc.

    Though it would be cool if a Red Priestess in Mereen tells Danyrion that the Lord Commander was killed and brought back by TLOL, they called him the bastard of Winterfell. Tyrion: “Jon Snow?” Red Priestess: “The Lord tells me he’s no Snow, he’s the last son of Rhegar and Layanna.”

    Side note: was anyone else really happy to see that bit of swagger Jon carried before the Battle of the Bastards? I really hope he carries that forward and gets a little cocky. He did almost ruin that battle for them, but still that was a fun exchange and I love that Ramsey had heard about his sword prowess, that means others have. Only wish the rumors about is resurrection were spreading.

  172. HunterMac87,

    Part of me is glad because Wun Wun got fucked up but at least one mention of Ghost or one shoot of him at the camp would be enough. Just to know he’s there. I just want to see Jon and Ghost fighting side by side but even against White Walkers Ghost will be easy target as we saw with Summer. But Jon and Ghost bond is supposed to be spiritual like with Daeny and Drogon. He’s part of him and his soul.

  173. HunterMac87,

    At some point Daeny and Tyrion will heard about him. Being resurrected, fighting white walkers, LC of the Night’s Watch, maybe KitN. His reputation as a swordsman. Sam, Theon, Tyrion quite a lot of people knows him. Jon on the other hand will hear about Dagon Lady and thinking her dragons could be useful and sending ravens or even going there. The worlds are collading and characters will meet. They need to hear about one another before their meeting as Jon and Daeny.

  174. Geralt of Rivia,

    Thats a good point, and I would love a scene with Jon and Ghost seamlessly working together to ward off attackers. Kinda want a Jon & Ghost solo mission/ buddy cop side quest haha. The only positive thing about Wun Wun being gone, RIP Last of the Giants, is that hopefully Ghost will take is spot as the Northern CG sidekick. I really just think budget only allowed one front and center this season.

  175. Fucking Lannisters survive again!!

    Well, I for one am very pleased we dont’ get a Jaime-Cersei Murder suicide next episode, though I guess that was pretty much confirmed by the shot of Jaime with the Freys in the preview.

    Perhaps Cersei will live long enough to see someone younger and more “beautiful” take all that she holds dear… Which after next episode will only be Jaime and her own safety and comfort, since Tommen simply has to die. I have my theories on who that would be.

  176. RG,

    Its wonderful ..definitely its going to be one of the best in the albums like mhysa did.

    After the 3 minute mark the chorus sounded to me like “Try me try me ..here I come here I come with my dragons ” ..

    But light of seven is something I never seen ramin do in GOt … For a moment I wondered I was hearing one of zimmer’s from Pirates of Caribbean

    HunterMac87,

    Appranetly Jon’s sword wielding capability is a legend iam sure news will pass

    Now I think how nice it would have been if jon was also present when sam was reading about dany to aemon

  177. So Margaery dies and the ”younger, more beautiful” prophecy from the books for Cersei is actually Daenerys.

    Cersei burns only the Red Keep and the Sept of Baelor. Because we saw a few times that flying dragon over King’s Landing and the city was intact.

  178. When Jon fought Ramsay. Did he used Mormont’s shield or Stark one? Because if so nice way to show that Lyanna Mormont was the one standing beside Starks when it matters.

  179. Anyone who says any of these actors suck should get a life. All of them are amazing. People seem to be very confused about the difference between acting quality and material quality.

    Emilia and Kit are great. They are both very hard workers with a ton to do. I honestly think for these two that people really have a hard time separating their dislike for a character (especially Dany) and their opinion of their acting.

    For the kids, Maisie and Sophie are incredible for their young age(s), and perfectly cast for their roles. Maisie’s material has suffered in the show as it did in the books while getting Sansa to Winterfell sooner has given Sophie some great material. So if there are differences in their salaries that would be why. But since the two of them are great friends it would surprise me if they didn’t try to negotiate together. Especially since Arya’s storyline is sure to pick up next season.

    I find Nikolaj’s Jaime at least as convincing as Lena’s Cersei and I always have her on the top of my list. People are just pissed off at the writing for Jaime because of book purist reasons and then I guess people complain about his acting because they again, are confused? Honestly hadn’t heard any complaints about him until this thread so I don’t see how it could be anything except not liking the direction the writers took the character.

  180. QueenofThrones,

    Kit is doing fine work as an actor and even with stunts. Emilia on the other hand has to act against green screen and needs to be convincing. It’s a really hard job to imagine there is something alive and when there is only green stick or so. Kit said how weird it was when he had to do it with Ghost. She needs to portray very strong character but at the same time little quieter scenes to show her self doubt and caring side. Very complex character and glad we’re past Ice Queen.

  181. ygritte:

    Did you guys read the part where Miguel Sapochnik explains how they filmed the scene where Kit is getting trampled on and buried? It’s pretty interesting too. Kit said his worst fear is being buried alive so I can imagine he might have felt just a little claustrophobic here. I know I would be, it’s also my biggest fear.

    http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-director-charts-jon-905032

    No, I hadn’t seen this! What a great find–thank you for sharing ❤️

    “Kit had mentioned to me that his worst fear is being buried alive,” says Sapochnik, “so I exploited that to its fullest — and being the amazing game player that he is, he let me.”

    What a lovely director ?

  182. Black Raven–you do not wish you had chosen to be an actor! Less than 2% of actors even make a living. Making a half-million an episode is extremely rare. And don’t forget, their managers, agents, publicists, etc., all get a piece of that pie, and then after taxes, it’s still a lot of money, but not a ginormous amount!

    Question for all–if Winter has come to Westeros….is it Winter in Essos as well? Will it snow in Slaver’s Bay? Can the Dothraki withstand the cold??? The Unsullied? I know it has never been Winter in most of their lifetimes, but if the previous generation lived through it, they would be prepared. But no one talks about the seasons in Essos!

  183. The soundtrack is out and Winds of Winter is epic af!! Mix or Dany/Greyjoy themes… Was expecting a song more related to Winter but definitely a Dany song. Even if kinda early was expecting the Wall to come down as final scene but by this song seems like the final scene of the season will really be Dany heading to Westeros.

  184. RG:
    Dee Stark,

    I think this will be an exception. I mean imagine her riding Drogon and all those ships finally sailing away from Mereen. Book fans and show only watchers will all be cheering that she’s heading to Westeros at last. Plus, if last episode is any indication, it will be a beautiful shot.

    Did you hear Winds of Winter from soundtrack? It’s gorgeous.

    Rhaegal and Viserion too. Since they are finally out of the catacombs they should be present for now on.

  185. Geralt of Rivia,

    Yes, I agree Dany is a complicated character to write for and portray. Sometimes the show has slipped up a little, IMO, by writing too much of the “Ice Queen” stuff as you put it, or what I might call “uncomplicated badass”. Like the scene everyone hated in episode 7 I think it was.

    And then there are a lot of times when Dany is supposed to be both Imperious/IceQueen and Insecure/Uncertain at the same time. A great example is the scene where she banishes Jorah for the first time. And a lot of her scenes in Mereen. This material is often misinterpreted by viewers as “bad acting” – lots of complaints that they can’t tell which single emotion she’s conveying. Well no shit, she’s conveying many conflicting ones. This does – and is meant to – leave a sense of unease/annoyance in the viewer. She seems unsure because the character is unsure. As a book reader, I felt like she did a great job of replicating the feelings I had when I was reading Dany’s ADWD material. Feeling like UGH THIS SITUATION SUCKS shouldn’t mean UGH DANY/EMELIA SUCKS. Ya know?

  186. QueenofThrones,

    This is what I have been saying ever since she had the moment with spice merchant in qarth..

    If you notice there are lots of people who don’t even know that she is trying not look at jorah when she was banishing him..the pain in her eyes was very real.

  187. Geralt of Rivia,

    YESS!!! When I rewatched for the third time (lol) I realize it was shield from someone named Lyanna that protected him and then obviously I cried.

    I think it’s very very very clear that something like that isn’t done by chance but intentionally. Both because in the end it was the Mormont’s and their good men that stood behind them but also the Lyanna mention.

  188. Nadia:
    Geralt of Rivia,

    YESS!!! When I rewatched for the third time (lol) I realize it was shield from someone named Lyanna that protected him and then obviously I cried.

    I think it’s very very very clear that something like that isn’t done by chance but intentionally. Both because in the end it was the Mormont’s and their good men that stood behind them but also the Lyanna mention.

    HERE WE STAND, BITCHES! 😀

  189. Kargaryen: he soundtrack is out and Winds of Winter is epic af!! Mix or Dany/Greyjoy themes… Was expecting a song more related to Winter but definitely a Dany song.

    Yeah, my guess is the last series of shots in the season is the remnants of the Wall intercut with Dany riding Drogon and her armada sailing beneath her towards Westeros, all set to blood pumping music.

  190. QueenofThrones,

    Listen if we could have a whole episode of Lyanna Mormont giving stink eye to Ramsay Bolton I AM HERE FOR THAT.

    Queen in the North indeed 😉 😉 😉

  191. Geralt of Rivia,

    I think it is though. It’s significant that that’s the music when Sansa rides in with the Vale, and also the more mellow part at the end will be probably what plays in their talk.

  192. Dee Stark:
    OT:

    The director on where Ghost was:

    “[Ghost] was in there in spades originally, but it’s also an incredibly time consuming and expensive character to bring to life,” the episode’s director Miguel Sapochnik told Business Insider on Monday. “Ultimately we had to choose between Wun-Wun and the direwolf, so the dog bit the dust.”

    Also, they say in the article how WunWun is filmed… its crazy that while theyre actually filming, WunWun isn’t even there, so they react to something not there! So cool. WunWun scenes are filmed later. Crazy!

    http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-director-why-ghost-wasnt-in-battle-of-the-bastards-2016-6

    This isn’t shocking. Benioff has been pretty open that Ghost is a very expensive effect and they have to do it sparingly, which I absolutely understand. However, one of the downsides of that is you start to lose the emotional connection between the Starks, and in particular Jon, to his dire wolf. Maybe in the end it really doesn’t mean much to the story, but it is a loss of emotional color for the character, imo.

  193. Nadia:
    QueenofThrones,
    Listen if we could have a whole episode of Lyanna Mormont giving stink eye to Ramsay Bolton I AM HERE FOR THAT.

    Queen in the North indeed

    I love every Mormont – they know how to breed badasses there – but little Lyanna just hits me right here. -> -> <3 <- <-

    I'm not sure how she can stink eye Ramsey anymore – he doesn't even have a face to eye-ball. Maybe she'll turn her (tiny) steely gaze onto Littlefinger next, or Karstark Jr. (we didn't see him die afaik).

  194. dragonbringer
    : 1)he is dead .
    2)Tyrion son of Tywin Lannister( another one from the same league ) is her advisor
    3)she had listened learned and accepted about her father

    She has just allowed yara to ask of independence and also said others can ask as well .
    I do wonder how much independence they will be asking when WW comes

    Even people and lords of northt yet to believe in WWs ..so first north must be start believing in it ..
    And if anyone who can believe in WW then its dany who has seen and done magic herself .

    Such as .

    If anything they must be understanding each other after all they went through ..
    Losing parents and home and everything
    Stark children and dany went through the same things and they have come out of it more stronger ..

    Take arya – she loves nymeria and dany is nymeria (compared by GrRm himself ) ..and she lost her dad and home and ended up as a begger and lost which is what dany’s early life is ..

    Take sansa – she has gone through the same trauma and sufferings that dany has gone through..both have been pawn in someone else games but ended players on their own right. .

    Take bran – he should be knowing dany by all his visions .

    And then there is of course jon..

    She has just allowed yara to ask of independence and also said others can ask as well .
    I do wonder how much independence they will be asking when WW comes

    When Tyrion told his joke about a Lannister, Martell and a Stark, Missandei asked him why he was talking about their enemies. So clearly they still see the Starks as enemies.
    Dany does understand that her father was a bad King, but that does not mean that she will see the Starks as allies.

    The Iron Island is a very different thing from the North. They are a small island, and they have been very insignificant within Westeros these past 300 years.

    But the whole idea of asking for independence does not really work that well. As I said the North is the largest part of the Seven Kingdoms. Would she just give half of her Kingdom away, if the Starks asks for it?
    It is also possible that the Starks could have some involvement in the Riverlands and in the Vale as well. If the Vale also ask nicely for their own kingdom will she be fine with that? And what about Dorne they always been more independent, will they also have their own kingdom? The Stormlands would likely also prefer to be their own rulers.
    This model of asking for independence will not really work for Dany, if sticks with it, then she might as well stay in Mereen.

    When you have to ask for your independence, it also isn’t really independence.

    Let’s speculate about possible opposition for Dany in Westeros. The Stormlands are leaderless and a lot of their soldiers have been destroyed between Renly and Stannis.
    Cersei is quite likely to blow up a part of Kings Landing. Cersei is not in command of the Lannister troops. She will have nothing to fight with if Dany arrives, she only has the mountin. The Tyrells could be destroyed by Cersei’s actions. Therefore they are more likely to side with Dany at that stage.
    Dorne could also be allies of Dany, Varys seems to be on his way to negotiate with them. The Crownland and the Riverlands have almost been completely destroyed after the war of the Five Kings. Other enemies such as the Freys would have no reason to up against Dany, as Walder Frey have said before Stark or Lannister it is all the same to them.
    Even the Westernlands has lost a lot of soldiers after the war of the Five Kings. Jaime’s army could suffer heavy losses if there is Red Wedding redux.
    So who will be left for Dany to fight against?
    Only Euron? That does not sounds right. We have been preparing for Dany to invade Westeros for 5 seasons. There needs to be a bigger pay off.

    The Vale could be opposition to Dany. With Littlefinger in command of the Vale both Varys and Tyrion will advice her not to trust Littlefinger, and it also happens that Littlefinger is allied to the Starks. Therefore after Euron there will only be Stark’s left as opposition to Dany.
    And it is much more interesting to have two parties fight against each other who we have been following right from the start. That is what makes for a good story. We will see two protagonist against each other, and we will understand both sides.

    The Starks are not interested in war right now, winter will be there, and there is White Walkers to think of. If Dany invades Westeros it will not make the fight against White Walkers easier, it creates more problems. Dany also thinks that she will be freeing Westeros from the feudal system, she had her breaking the wheel speech to illustrate this notion.
    She wants something different. But the Starks are not actually terrible Lords against their peasants. Their peasants actually supports them. Different goals and visions.

    I agree that Dany might believe in the White Walkers easier then other people, but she would not know about immediately after stepping foot in Westeros.

    She might have a lot in common with them on a personal level, but at the same time might not like or even believe the idea that she has another male relative, with possibly a better claim to the throne then her.

    I think all of the signs points to them being on opposing sides, especially at first. They will likely work something out to fight against the White Walkers, but I dont think it will be such an easy alliance.

  195. grimezzzx:
    Nadia,

    It’s tragic how Maisie is destined for something far from a Hollywood career. And she seems to know it, sadly. Oh well, there’s always indie film. Or maybe she can be in some HBO miniseries after the role is done.

    I don’t like what you’re intimating here. Plus, I think you’re wrong.

  196. Nadia,

    It was such a nice touch. This connection, trust between them. I keep thinking about Jon and Jorah. That eventually he’ll give him his sword Longclaw but then what other Valyrian steel sword he’ll have. Blackfyre? Jon is not a Blackfyre, Dark Sister doesn’t sound fitting to him. Maybe Daeny could forge a new one for him.

    If the spoiler are true

    Lyanna makes a speech and basically call everyone else cowards and having said that Mormonts always stood beside Starks and others were hiding. Which will prompt others into apologizing and agreeing with her. One of the reason why I believe in this spoiler is that Lyanna in my mind would support Jon more than Sansa from one very good perspective. He’s a warrior and she respects that more than politics, being Lady, legtimate Stark. She probably wants to be a warrior like her mother.

    I think they could use part of this “Trust Each Other” for their scene. As much as I hate LF, man that scene of them riding against Boltons was awesome.

  197. I’ve noticed one person missing from that hall of faces picture on this post: Bran. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen his face on a hall of faces picture, maybe it has been. That might be significant!

    Jon’s face is there, and he did indeed die…except he came back to life. I wonder if all those people will die in the end.

  198. Geralt of Rivia,

    Geralt of Rivia:
    When Jon fought Ramsay. Did he used Mormont’s shield or Stark one? Because if so nice way to show that Lyanna Mormont was the one standing beside Starks when it matters.

    That would be nice. I’d have to watch it again to see. I’m a big fan of the mouthy 10-year-old. However, she herself said that Jon is a Snow, not a Stark. And, she questioned whether Sansa is herself a Stark. But, I suppose we are whatever we say we are. 🙂

    Wait ’till she sees what Littlefinger – The Enemy behind Winterfell walls – has in store for them all!

  199. ghost of winterfell,

    Other similarities:
    I love how Tormund used the Brienne technique to defeat Smalljon, biting and tearing off a chunk of his flesh, these two are made for each other!!

    I think she likes well groomed, rich guys. However, I’m sure Tormund would get a full body wax just for her.

  200. I was beggining to be worried about Jaime from the moment I saw him in the prewiew at the Twins with the Frey where Red Wedding 2.0 will most likely take place.
    I’m relieved ^^
    I always knew Cersei was going to make it at least until season 7 !

  201. Roberta Baratheon:
    Black Raven–you do not wish you had chosen to be an actor!Less than 2% of actors even make a living.Making a half-million an episode is extremely rare.And don’t forget, their managers, agents, publicists, etc., all get a piece of that pie, and then after taxes, it’s still a lot of money, but not a ginormous amount!

    Yes, I can well believe that. My comment was said ‘With tongue in cheek’.

    Many years ago I knew a guy who was an actor and said it was no easy life. Always looking for work and up against strong competition. Vaguely recall he said he played a minor part in the 1980’s UK series – ‘Robin of Sherwood’ . We lost contact and whether he furthered his acting career I never did find out.

    I guess like many things in life, luck plays a big part. Also knowing the right people and being at the right place at the right time helps 😉

  202. Im glad to see that Kit and Peter remain the keyplayers of the show. But it will probably be the most depressing thing seeing them die in the last couple of episodes.
    Also with the last season of this show there will end a historical time for Television…its likely that we wont get anything like Game of Thrones for a while.

  203. grimezzzx,

    For the opening titles, which doesn’t have direct correlation to salary; I expect they’re still being paid the same.But Maisie really should have her own card too (this season she’s typically gotten the first shared card, alongside Conleth Hill), considering that, e.g., Nathalie Emmanuel has one.Poor Isaac, meanwhile, is always buried way at the back.Those three were usually billed together starting out, so you can chart how their paths diverged with time.

    Why exactly does Nathalie Emmanuel have her own card? I don’t get it at all. In my opinion, Missandei is a minor character.

  204. It’s a little late in this thread to bring it up, but…am I the only one who is curious to know what Sean Bean was paid for nine episodes in Season 1? That the show would be a success was iffy at that time, especially in light of the disastrous pilot. While good actors were on board (bless you, Nina Gold), other than having seen Dinklage in Station Agent, Bean was the actor who attracted me (well, I was a book reader and eager to watch, but…). For most practical purposes, he was the ONLY star and the focus of all the publicity. He attracted a lot of early viewers and critics. And he was putting his career on the line too, as fantasy on telly was a very dubious prospect. Obviously, he and GoT were a huge success, but since the budget that first season was minuscule, he might have been a bargain the compared to the renegotiating ‘stars’ now.

  205. Sophie and Maisie shouldnt take this. This is hollywood at its smallest again. Age discrimination at its finest! Just because they are younger they dont get the same despite Sansa and Arya being just as important characters as those 5. And the actresses just as good (or just frankly better than kit and emilia). And its not like they have big credits outside of the show now too especially Sophie with X-men… There is really no reason why they shouldnt get the same other than discrimination. they better get something with 6 numbers as well or that would be very very wrong. but i am sure they and their agents know that.
    I am struggling to see how Maisie still doesnt have her own card in the credits while Nathalie Emmanuel and (worst of all) Indira Varma (!!) has one. So do those two get paid more as well?? Sophie and Maisie are mentioned WELL ahead of them on the blurays… But not in the credits.
    Well Sophie actually got her own credit this year AND she jumped past Carice and Aiden. She always WAS ahead of Nathalie already.
    Its just so unfair. The show has a big 7 not a big 5 and its insulting.
    I hope Sophie surprises with an emmy nomination just to confirm this but no doubt they ll give Lena + Emilia again just because. Not that Lena wouldnt deserve it…
    Then again sophie is in X-men now dont know if that carries weight over there.

    Also… Kit and Emilia had just as little experience before GOT as the girls. Well Emilia had her Triassic movie but i am not sure if thats a plus haha!

  206. Dessmr,

    🙁 <– link

    All jokes aside, I agree. I get that sometimes a role simply has to be recast, because the role is to demanding for the actor, which at least people think is what happend with Aimee Richardson since she got to audition IIRC, but to be honest, I didn't find the part of Myrcella in season 5 all that complex… Then again, we were not there when the decision to recast Myrcella was made, we don't know exactly what happend and most likely never will.

  207. Ginevra,

    And I think they also said or at least implied that one actress was written out because she added a nudity clause, which every big actress did after the first two seasons of Game of Porn and they got away with it because they were big.

    That never happened. And the contracts are signed for multiple seasons so there is no adding no nudity clauses or anything else. The reason there is a news story about GoT cast pay raises is because this is the first season they have renegotiated contracts with the main cast. They all signed on for 6 seasons and that is done purposely to avoid pay raises every year for a hit show and to prevent actors or actresses from quitting whenever they feel like it.

  208. A short (15 min) indie film in which Maisie Williams acted, filmed about 2 – 3 years ago I think just made available to watch online

    “Up on the Roof”

  209. QueenofKnowingNothing: I think for this season (regardless, he had to keep a huge secret from everyone) Kit made almost $1mil

    I’m happy to read that, the kid deserves every penny, he’s excellent in the role, and I’m very picky about which actors I grace with that distinction.

  210. Jack Bauer 24: What is west of Westeros?

    I would guess the far east of Essos 😉 That looks like a very wide continent (probably like Asia and Europe combined do on Earth) and it wraps around ‘Planetos’.

    One of life’s (well GoT) mysteries I guess. Perhaps Euron knows! He supposedly has spent many years sailing around the place 🙂

  211. Interesting discussion in here… some of it by people who speak so confidently about something they clearly don’t understand.

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