Along with the Stark-centric covers for EW‘s next issue, the magazine is —as usual— previewing some of their incoming interviews and reports online, in dribs and drabs. Today, in a lovely video, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington and Isaac Hampstead Wright (all dressed up as their characters) imagine how a happy reunion of the remaining scions of House Stark would look like. There are more explicit teases about what’s to come in Game of Thrones, in an interview with David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Bryan Cogman.
Aside from producing the video above, EW previewed their next issue, for which James Hibberd visited the set in Northern Ireland and Spain. In this first glimpse of Hibberd’s interviews, the showrunners emphasize not only the greater size and scope of this coming second-to-last season but also the step up in quality on all fronts:
“I know you probably get sick of hearing us say this,” Benioff jokingly apologized. “We say it every year, but everybody steps up their game this season. It’s kind of astounding to us. In every department, from the acting to the effects, everybody constantly improves.”
There are reasons for this improvement, as the fewer episode count this year offered the production more time and money for everything (bigger dragons and battles “on sea and land” are teased.) But the budget isn’t what really made the difference. It was the direction of the story. As this tale nears its end, the characters are converging, and that turned out to be a great foundation with which to write, according to Weiss:
“What’s most exciting this season is being able to play interactions between various characters that for years we haven’t been able to play.”
Writer Bryan Cogman added: “Dany in Westeros makes Game of Thrones a new show. It has this amazing ripple effect throughout every storyline that’s very exciting to explore. There’s a pace and urgency that’s very palpable. This is the end game.”
For the first time in Game of Thrones, every character is in Westeros. Not only that, but most of them are bunched together in two or three different camps: the Starks rule Winterfell again, Daenerys is finally going home, and Cersei rules King’s Landing. The stage is set for a war… a war for which the White Walkers must be licking their desiccated lips. All of this will come into play in season seven… and I cannot wait!
Way to go, Mr. Nieto. Maybe HBO invites you to be their new James Hibberd in the spinoffs-that-are-not-spinoffs.
James Hibberd is a lucky man!
Edit: I second Asha’man. And add Sue as well!
I just want to see the Stark sisters meet.
Oh how I wish I had James Hibberd’s Job
Food seems foremost on the list, sounds like my family reunions!
Dee Stark,
But then you’d know half the plot before you even got to see the episodes !
The level of access he has must be fun, for sure, but it also means he can’t enjoy the show like a normal fan.
Wonder why Maisie wasn’t in the video?
Markus Stark,
Very true… but it would be so cool to do it. How about doing his job for one season… and the rest would be spoiler free 🙂 hahaha
Well they didn’t tease anything about the end-game.
Not to be a stickler(…. okay, fine, thats exactly why i say this”, but every character is in westeros? I mean, daario is one of the flimsiest characters in that world, but hes still a character
My beautiful Stark babies <3
..ok all this “stark” love is starting to worry me…. dont get all this goodness and not have to pay for it lol…. we arent gonna be happy at the end of the season, I am already preparing myself for it
I think that Jon is going to leave Winterfell before Arya gets there, and they are saving that most emotional reunion for Season 8. Maybe they were worried that Maisie would give some sort of tipoff?
Optimus Crime,
How about all storylines now take place in Westeros? That’s a more accurate statement.
Where do you think Sansa is in the video? It seems like she’s near the sea.
They must reunite at some point, right?
Jack Bauer 24,
Wonder why Maisie wasn’t in the video?
She may have been busy filming “Departures” in the US.
keltia,
Yes. Maisie Williams has been filming “Departures” in upstate New York, and filming on X-Men: New Mutants starts in a little over a month.
A Girl has a busy schedule. 🙎🏻
Ten Bears,
Wouldn’t this video have been recorded at the same time they took the photo shoot?
He won’t appear anymore. He’s alive, but not an active character anymore.
AryaArya,
You mean the video of the interviews ? I wouldn’t know if the photo shoot happened at the same tone and place.
The are so beautiful!
selena,
I share your apprehension… But don’t they look gorgeous in those pics? 🙂
I didn’t see any Stark emblems on Sansa’s dress, just a flayed man motif.
Luka Nieto,
How sure are you that Daario won’t appear again?
I’m not so sure he will appear again either, and I’d rather he didn’t, but Daario has a habit of not listening to Daenerys. Perhaps he will go to Westeros on his own and join the battle at some point.
That would be pretty pointless unless he’s going to be an important foil in the story. At this point, the show needs to keep the focus on the main characters, and unless a secondary character like Daario is going to be important to one of those characters, then they should not bother with that character.
They are right, I can definitely see a ripple effect from Dany coming to Westeros changing up the game.
Mr Derp,
Oh God no. Please. No more Daario. If Daario reappears, then I want to see wight Orson Lannister. Just for you, Mr. D. 🐞🐞🐞🐞🔨