At the recent INTV conference in Israel, HBO SVP of drama, Francesca Orsi, programming president, Casey Bloys and drama chief, David Levin talked about the Game of Thrones cast’s emotional reaction to season 8 and the pre-production challenges of those much-anticipated spinoffs.
Fair warning, there are no spoilers ahead but if you’re having an emotionally vulnerable day, you might want to have some tissues handy.
While participating in the “Best of HBO” panel, Francesca Orsi talked about the read through in Belfast last year, during which the actors read all six scripts for the final season in one very intense sitting.
“It was a really powerful moment in our lives and our careers,” Orsi said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started to fall down to their deaths. By the end, the last few words on the final script, the tears just started falling down. Then there was applause that lasted 15 minutes.”
Her words serve as an important reminder that those involved in the creation of Game of Thrones are just as (if not more) emotionally invested in its conclusion as the fans.
“It was amazing,” Orsi said. “By the very end, everyone looked down and looked up and tears were in their eyes.”
Looking further into the future, Orsi discussed the Game of Thrones spinoffs and spoke frankly about the budgetary challenges HBO is facing.
“There is a conundrum if we do take off on one of these Game of Thrones spin-offs, where do we start?” Deadline reported her saying. “We can’t obviously start with the budget of season 8 but would it be a Game of Thrones season three budget.”
It’s easy to forget that Game of Thrones didn’t start out with a big enough budget to bring us those Loot Train Battle-quality action sequences. The show had to build up to that. But that approach isn’t going to cut it for what HBO has planned for those spinoffs (the nature of which, of course, remains undisclosed).
“$50 million (per season) would never fly for what we are trying to do. We are going big,” Orsi said.
Lastly, Rose Leslie recently appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers where she and Meyers chatted about the difficult dynamic she and Kit Harington have had to develop regarding Game of Thrones, since she’s no longer privy to spoilers.
According to Leslie, she won’t even let Harington read the scripts in front of her, for fear that his body language will give something away.
“I send him packing!” She said, to audience laughter. “I kind of boot him out so he can go to a coffee shop … [because] I’ll be able to gauge. If he stiffens, then I know that someone’s dead.”
“If you tell me any spoilers I’ll cut off your pretty c*ck and wear it round me neck.”
– RL
///////////////Orsi said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started to fall down to their deaths. By the end, the last few words on the final script, the tears just started falling down. Then there was applause that lasted 15 minutes.”
Her words serve as an important reminder that those involved in the creation of Game of Thrones are just as (if not more) emotionally invested in its conclusion as the fans.
“It was amazing,” Orsi said. “By the very end, everyone looked down and looked up and tears were in their eyes.”///////////…………………………………………………………………………………………………HODOR ….We are going to cry with black tears…I cant wait for S8..Im fucking nervous for 2019
“None of the cast had received the scripts prior…”
And yet Maisie Williams said she read them with her mother while drinking wine, and Emilia said she had to leave her house and go for a walk for a few hours after reading them.
“…None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started to fall down to their deaths”
Sounds bloody.
Yes – I’ve heard on TV of at least 3 actors who read the scripts in their own home. They’re totally lying about the script secrecy.
Typical SVP of ‘Drama’: “EVERYONE DIES.”
😂
Well irrespective of where the scripts were read, it’s always been clear that many (if not the vast majority) of main characters will die in the final season. I think we’ll only have a handful left- 5 max.
It’s reported the budget is 15 mil an episode but with only 6 episodes that’s 90 mil for the season. I thought the budget last season was 100 mil. What happened?
Jack Bauer 24,
Doesn’t matter
They spent $10 million figuring out how to not include the direwolves.
I know I should focus on the GoT related portions, but it’s not overly different news. This though:
“Going big” and $50m/season not being enough regarding a next series is great news to me. While he won’t say they’d start out as big budgeted as current GoT level, saying they’re not going cheap is just as good. As many of us have mentioned before, we’re going to need something to stay excited for after the finale. Knowing they’re “going big” is going to help.
They keep hyping the final season as bigger and better then ever……with fewer episodes and smaller budget. Should have had a budget well north of 100 mil
Actually I think that was just $5 million. The other $5 million was scheming meetings about how to not release red carpet premiere dates when Jack expects them. 😛
Lol. Hey, I want to see the direwolves as much as the next person but realistically what can they do in the Great War compared to the dragons? Look at what happened to Summer against a handful of wights. I have no doubt we’ll see Ghost again.
Jack Bauer 24,
90% of your comments are fixated on the show’s budget and effects. Give it a rest. It’s not about the overall amount. The allocation of the resources and the skill of the crew is what will ultimately make the difference anyways.
The budget for the season can obviously still increase if they won’t be done filming until June. Plus, they have to deal with post-production costs which could exceed their current price range. And knowing this is the last season, HBO will do whatever they can.
Well, $100m/7 episodes = 14.29 per… so technically it’s more.
Still, one shouldn’t get so concerned about numbers tossed out there in interviews. It’s a shitload of money regardless.
Well, it could be that they only received their own part of the story prior to the reading. And then they “read all six scripts” and got the bigger picture. And cry ensued.
I do not really see the contradiction, to be honest.
If season 7 did in fact cost 100 million overall, it means that each of its 7 episodes cost 14.3 million which would also mean that each episode of season 8, with its 15 million budget, will be $700.000 more. Close to an extra 3/4 of a million per episode is actually quite a leap ! There is a lot one can do with 700.000 dollars, be it CGI-wise, location-wise or otherwise-wise (as C.C. Baxter would say).
As You mentioned it: Yes, what hapepned to Summer??? Isn’t he an wightwolf now???
Ten Bears,
Hahahah😂😂….. but really! Other than reading about casting news, actors spotted at filming locations/filming news, I’m trying to go into the last season like a sweet summer child.
Also, I believe the HBO execs are referring to the read through everyone did last October in Belfast so it was before the actors received the scripts individually – and by the sound of the interviews from various actors, it was probably given electronically.
Apollo,
That depends on how you define “main” character. Strictly speaking, there are 7: Jon, Dany, Cersei, Arya, Sansa, Tyrion, and Jamie. Of those 7, I think we lose at maximum 4, but probably 3 (Cersei, Jamie, and Jon or Dany). Of the supporting characters (of which there are many), a good chunk of them will be gone by the end.
There is also no doubt in my mind that people on the show will play up the deaths in S8 to make us afraid for all the characters and to hype up the drama. They’ve all done that since pretty much the beginning of the show.
I love Rose Leslie she is so ‘posh’ and so different from Ygrette.
OT for us Brits Morrisons are selling Dragon Easter eggs , life doesn’t get much better…GoT and chocolate😋
I think by the end Bronn (if alive) could have the pick of castles. There will not be enough people left alive to occupy them all.
We’re going to lose Arya, aren’t we? Curse you, D&D!
One thought I had.
What if someone like Cersei, possibly through the Iron bank.
Employs the Faceless Men against the Starks / Arya!
😄 Haha! Thank you for the laugh of the day! I needed that.
3eyes,
Hell no! The closest she’ll get to death is a metaphorical one. As in she will abandon her identity as Arya Stark. That fits far better with her character journey than any other option.
Jack Bauer 24,
Hey JB! Good to see ya back!
3eyes,
No. F*cking. Way.
OT too: Thanks to you Brits I have my beautiful GoT stamps.
God Save the Queen!
Jack Bauer 24,
100/6 = 16.6
That’s a very specific number, so they could have just been rounding it down for convenience. An approximation, so to speak.
The show is produced per season, not per episode, making it difficult to determine exactly how much of that budget was used for one episode. The average budget for season 6 was 10 mil. per episode, but I doubt it was divided equally. They don’t publicise budgets. No one would argue against Battle of the Bastards being considerably more expensive then all other season 6 episodes. For all we know that episode cost 20 mil. to make.
Ultimately, it’s not important. Were not accountants, we don’t know what requires which amount of money. The largest portion of any show or movie’s budget goes to the lead actors anyway. In fact, the average 200 mil. movie spends over 120 mil. on actors alone. Even the biggest blockbusters rarely spend more than 30 mil on effects.
Enharmony1625,
I agree, “main” character is entirely subjective. From your list, I can only see one or two surviving in the true sense of the word.. one of them being Jon (because of the various prophecies and Dany’s visions). The rest of them I can’t see having any real purpose after the Great War. The same goes for the lesser characters: Sam, Theon, Bran etc.
There are so many pieces of foreshadowing the indicate this, not just teasers by the actors.
Damn. I was betting 50-to-1 that all GoT warring/invading parties would resolve their differences peacefully and S8 would consist of grand musical numbers about tradition, family and prosperity.
Rose is cool though. Good interview.
Apollo,
I would have to strongly disagree. This has been as much of a character story as it has been about the overall plot (which arguably didn’t really kick into gear until the end of season 5). Just because a character doesn’t have a “purpose” after the Great War doesn’t mean they should just be offed. That’s an overly formulaic way of approaching it. Furthermore, unless death has meaning for a main character, death is boring and uninteresting storytelling. It also comes off as just shock value.
GRRM has said himself that in a story like this, you do need hope at the end. Killing off as many characters as you suggest is nowhere near bittersweet — it’s bleak and dour. LotR, for instance, had a very effective and bittersweet ending despite killing hardly any main characters. Now, no one expects GoT to be that generous, but I think being too extreme about killing off all the characters we love is a terrible way to end the series.
The books and show can communicate the costs and effects of the war in a variety of interesting ways that serve a character’s journey. Death is not the only tool to accomplish that.
I predict that Bronn will get a serious case of heartburn after downing a case of Dornish red with Tyrion. How’s that for a spoiler? 😉
Jon dies saving everyone, Dany lives. Only possible ending.
yeah ok
I don’t know everything about how table reading works, but for this one, I imagine it was something like a game of musical chairs, with each person being eliminated one at a time until there was almost no one left. I mean, what happens if your character dies during the 1st script, do they just sit there for the next 5 and wait until it’s over? I imagine that would’ve been just fine in this case though.
Enharmony1625,
Very well said.
I truly think the ending of ASOIAF will be very remniscent to LOTR. And I wouldn’t mind that at all.
Enharmony1625,
You forgot Bran as a main character and I think of your list of main: Cersei, Jaime and Sansa I think will die…I think the 5 GRRM predicted back in 1993 will be what’s left of the main characters and they are: Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Arya and Bran that’s my prediction.
Dany dies, Jon might die, but not before he kills Jorah with Longclaw (possibly because Jorah has concerns about Jon’s superior claim to the throne.)
Still pondering the fates of the others
Eric womack,
Bran is definitely an important character, but I don’t think of him as a main character because he doesn’t have nearly as much screen time as the others. And he sat an entire season out.
Thanks! Good to see you as well. I haven’t posted since S7 ended and I haven’t followed any of the casting news or spoilers. I want to really go into the final season spoiler free.
I really hope the table read was (at least partially) filmed and will be released as some sort of bonus feature with the series box set, like what they did with The Office finale.
Enharmony1625,
I hear you and he doesn’t have as much screen time as the others but he is a main character and obvious very important one.
Eric womack,
oh great, let´s kill the most interesting characters and let the main super cool and good characters survive yass! hahaha, sorry, I am bitter.
I have assumed that most of my favourite characters will die (Cersei, probably Jaime, Brienne…), just let me have Sansa hahaha, at least on of my favs has to survive, right? RIGHT?
Eric womack,
GRRM is a gardener, and he counts Sansa as a one of the big main characters (big 6) too, whos role wasn’t that great in the 1993 outline. If she wouldn’t be that important why build her up all the seasons only to let her die in season 8? Trough all the season has the 4th most after Jon, Dany and Tyrion total screentime.
I agree that Cersei and maybe Jaime will die.
The four maximum deaths will be Cercei,Jaime,Bran and Sansa..Cercei is confirmed to die by Maggy ,Jaime perhaps…Bran is confirmed to die for to kill the NK and Sansa..Sophie Turner said that her new final dress is done and she will is done with filming next month..so we assume that Sansa is confirmed to die too..There cannot be both the Stark sisters alive..one of them has to die for sure and thats Sansa
If Jon survives..Danny will need to survive also ..no doubt for that..Or both live or both dies..no middle ground..It would be useless and so predictable if one dies and the other lives with the psychological trauma +raising a child alone..all his/her life..Thats not bittersweet..just bitter tragic
I still to early to say that Jon or Danny or both dies..Their fate is still unknown and questionable ..I see Jorah dying ..but not from Jons hands..he will go in the battlefield fighting the NK and protecting Danny or her child..as he promised to do for her
I find it funny when people make a big deal about the budget.
Do you even know what the budget is used for?
There are many factors that lead to a lower budget. First and foremost, 6 episodes, 1 less from last year, means one less episode of CGI and editing work, as an example. 6 episodes means less filming time for some characters/actors, less filming for extras etc. And considering we are at season 8, we have less supporting cast (ex: Aiden Gillen, Ellie Kendrick etc), so less payments there.
ITs really not a big deal. And going from 100 million to 90 million? Come on. big deal LOL
Alvaricomg,
Arya. Just Arya. The Great Other and The Many-Faced God can have the rest.
Aki86,
Oh no. Please no. Not another Sansa fan war….
And don’t forget the actors get paid per episode in season 7 and 8. If one or 2 main characters wil die mid seasons that will lower the cost.
I’m wondering if Sam will be one of the casualties. Or can it be that he will be the writer of “a song of ice and fire” the book in the citadel that is about the story, personally I hope that they do not do that, to much of a lotr vibe.
I’m wondering if the end sentence is something like the Sansa scene at the end of season 7. Hopefully it’s about the Starks.
or maybe the last sentence is that of the Night King: *sound like ice cracking* (translating: We have won)
Dee Stark,
Jack works himself up into a panic attack every time he posts, so it’s nothing new. It’s always doom and gloom.
Good to see you again Dee 🙂
Lol, this will only stop when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and the mountains blow in the wind like leaves…
Ten Bears,
There was an interview with Maisie a little while back where she talked about her fantasy for how GoT would end. It would be Littlefinger sitting on the Iron Throne, the camera zooms in on him, then he rips his face off and it’s Arya. 🙂
Enharmony1625,
I actually think basic survival of mankind after the Great War will be a sweet enough element of bittersweet, without all of the Gendry/Arya marriage nonsense or tax policies of King Jon post the Long-Night (that GRRM may well include in his books, but the show has no time to cover at all).
I predict there’ll be a small handful of characters left to help rebuild a shattered Westeros from the ashes of an apocalyptic war. That will truly be a Dream of Spring: rebirth from the death and desolation of Winter/the not very Long Night.
Valar Morghulis and all that.
Aki86,
Actually I think Sansa might die – her development has shown her to be the heart of the Stark family. Her death wouldl be the catalyst for Arya, Jon, Bran and everyone else who cared for her to keep going forward and fighting. It would also wake them up to just how dangerous Cersei really is. There’s been too much foreshadowing for it, even last season Sansa is still petrified of her. It would actually provide good drama because so many people are tied to her and care about her.
I think Sansa could die.
Just because it sets up Arya as Lady Stark of Winterfell.
Well, since you brought it up… My perspective is that D&D have more to do with this than George because they like Sophie, wanted to utilize her and decided to take her where he hasn’t. She IS one of the Stark kids so one has to assume George will get somewhere with her but he sure is taking his sweet time. Tummy flutters, ballroom dancing with yet more new characters, and taking care of Sweetrobin doesn’t exactly scream exciting endgame building material. D&D took it upon themselves to change the character’s story to something more exciting and useful for the show. We’ll have to wait to see how much that impacts the endings in each medium.
I think D & D are the writers now!
GRRM will catch up when he can be bothered.
Or possibly any book is being held back now to prevent spoilers for the TV series. That is where the big money is and they WILL call the shots.
We’ll see, because it’s no longer “too early” for anything. There are six episodes left.
I just can’t see Dany saying “Oh tee hee isn’t that funny? I’ve dedicated my entire life to winning the Iron Throne, and you just waltz in cluelessly with a better claim than mine! It’s so CUTE!”
kathy,
Why would Sansa need to die to be a catalyst? Her character is more than just a catalyst for other people besides there’s already been more than enough “catalysts”. Nevermind that she’s one of the few characters who is actually most connected with post-war build up and politics. Her whole arc has been about rebuilding Winterfell.
…,
I guess you just answered your own question in your last sentence. If Sansa’s entire arc was about reclaiming her home and rebuilding WF (which she succeeded in achieving) but then
, then where is left for the character to go in a post apocalyptic Westeros?
I agree with this. I’d slightly lower the chances for Bran, who was told by Jojen, “This is not the end. Not for you. Not yet.” And Dany just seems vulnerable IMO. Sansa is vulnerable–whilst they’re all caught between two savage wars, only she and Bran can’t fight or perhaps even hide. When Arya slipped into the room as Sansa handled the Faces, Sansa threatened that she had 200 men in Winterfell loyal to her. But Arya coolly pointed out they weren’t there at that time. And, as we know, Winterfell will burn…
I agree–she’s more than a mere catalyst. Actually, all of the 7 mains are. But her political value is far from what it was, not least because she’s no longer ‘key to the North’. Moreover, she learned more about manipulating than anything else, and in post-war Westeros that might be of dubious use. More germane is that all those Game-players she was once connected with will be gone. Even Varys is prophesied to die. If Kings Landing survives, it will be staffed and run by the likes of Jon, Dany and Tyrion, who is no longer close to Sansa. If her arc is tied to rebuilding Winterfell (which I disagree with) then she won’t be in KL playing politics. A political marriage to Robin or Tyrion might get her involved, but she’d have to leave Winterfell, so it would fall to Arya. TBH, that’s what I suspect will happen.
Here’s the thing though : Sansa and Jon got Winterfell back, but neither had to rebuild it since the Boltons did that for them.
Now if Winterfell is burned, it will need to be rebuilt and this time it would actually fall on a Stark, so Sansa’s arc may still call for her to rebuild their home.
Grail King,
That ship has sailed though… WF burned before and was rebuilt, for them to do it again would just be overly repetitive, it seems.
The ship is just leaving port, The boltons rebuilt it, the story of Sansa rebuilding it hasn’t happened yet, and could still happen.
There is no prophesy or symbolism of a flayed man rebuilding Winterfell.
Grail King,
I didn’t know there was a prophecy about the Starks rebuilding WF… only that Jojen dreamed the Wolves would return (which they have).
Sansa building snow Winterfell in season 4, is straight from the books, on top of that we had LF tell Sansa, sometime the old house will need to be rebuilt with new ( somewhat near that )
Grail King,
Ah- and the prophecy/dream of a maiden slaying a giant in a castle made of snow. But those have happened. She’s effectively rebuilt House Stark; in the sense that they reclaimed WF, restored their rule over the North and brought the surviving Starks back together. (and also slayed LF). She doesn’t need to physically rebuild the place from scratch for that prophecy to be fulfilled.
Sansa is the only character with all of the elements to lead after the war. She’s matured through her suffering, has political savvy and knows all of Westeros better than any of the others.
The other main characters have serious flaws. Jon is impetuous to the point of recklessness. Dany is too narrow in her focus, and frankly she is a Targareon so repeating old tyrannical monarchs needs to end. Arya is simply a war tool (although I love her).
Tyrion is brash, and worse, he’s a Lannister – I can’t see any Lannister’s leading after the war.
I also believe that when the dragons die, the magic will die too. Characters who have elements of magic like Bran & Dany will disappear with the dragons. Dany is especially vulnerable because she is so closely tied to her dragons.
The world of GOT will be vastly different after the war with the dead.
I’m always a bit mystified at the notion that Sansa’s arc ends with the apparent sacking of WF. It’s true she has become the heart of WF and the North but if WF is destroyed, I don’t think that signals her death by any means. It seems a bit simplistic to think so. But I personally don’t believe we’re gonna be seeing any more Stark deaths in S8. Jon is the only one who is on the bubble for me but I think the three trueborn Stark kids are safe.
Arya and Sansa’s last scene in s7 on the Winterfell battlements where they repeated their father’s words felt like it was imbued with some heavy meaning and foreshadowing. The pack will survive.
But I think we’re going to have a lot of near misses with Sansa (and all of the Starks tbh) in S8 but her arc up until this point has been a story of survival. If she’s been kept alive this whole time to just be killed or essentially fridged to ~further~ the motivations of her family members then Sansa could’ve been killed in S7 by LF on Cersei’s orders or something.
But who knows. Anything is possible!
I would say Bran is very much a main character although I agree likely we lose only 3-4 main characters in the finale.
I am the same Jack, although I have been reading non-spoiler articles (thankfully there have been very few spoilers/leaks so far through filming) including those with the odd set photo.
Off With Her Head,
If we look at their arcs, Jon and Dany’s have been primarily about leading and ruling – and learning from their mistakes in so doing – and Sansa’s has been very much about playing the game and returning home (realising how strong she is in the process). She has learnt how to manipulate enemies and please allies, but has only a meagre amount of experience leading (in season 7), though she was shown to be doing it well. Though I do think her arc will culminate with her being the Lady of Winterfell it possibly wardeness of the north, I don’t think her arc will lead her to rule all of the 7 Kingdoms as this would be a surprising turn of events. She dreamed of being queen early on in the series, but that hasn’t been a part of her journey for a long time. Jon and Dany (especially) on the other hand have been all about ruling, leading, going from smaller commands to larger ones. I fully see one of them sitting on the throne – if it is still standing – by the end as it would be surprising if anyone else became the new ruler of the 7 Kingdoms in terms of where their storylines have been going.
Mr Derp,
True!!
Missed youuu!!