‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7 Production Video and Blooper Reel Are All We’re Getting for Now
Winter came to Comic-Con, and it was glorious. Also, Hodor.
The cast of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” hit San Diego today to say they know nothing (Jon Snow) about the next season. On hand were showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, director Miguel Sapochnik (who helmed some of our favorite episodes in the last two seasons), and actors John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos Seaworth), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Isaac Hemptstead Wright (Bran Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys), Faye Marsay (The Waif), Kristian Nairn (Hodor), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
READ MORE: HBO Sets ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 7 For Summer 2017, Reveals Episode CountHBO had revealed that “Game of Thrones” would shoot later this year because of the weather, and therefore no real new footage was revealed. The panel wasn’t devoid of fun videos, however. Check out this blooper reel featuring Peter Dinklage and his nemesis, the word “benevolent”:
The panel also released a video of Season 7’s behind-the-scenes prep that includes sets, props and costumes being made. It’s kind of a combo of “How Stuff Works” and a production of Stomp! Check it out:
Hmm, what do you think “Sansa’s Ch–” will be?
Moderator Rob McElhenney of “It’s Always in Philadelphia” introduced a spoof video in which he plays a Westerosi who’s all about winter coming. Fellow “Sunny” castmember Charlie Day also appeared to discuss a “funny” play about the Lannisters and show off his grandmother’s goat cheese knife made of Valerian aluminum. Stay tuned for if/when the hilarious video is made available.
READ MORE: If ‘Game of Thrones’ Can’t Win an Emmy in 2017, What Does That Mean For HBO?Other highlights included the cast and crew weighing in on the past season and speculation about what’s to come:
What Would Sansa Do?
Now that Jon Snow was named the King of the North, true-born Stark daughter Sansa has been passed up yet again. When asked if she thought Sansa supported Jon’s claim and possibly taking the Iron Throne, Turner said, “I don’t know about the Iron Throne. I think she believed it was more of a joint effort… as far as [being] King and Queen of the North.” She added that Sansa doesn’t think Jon has “the intellect, the knowledge and the experience that [Sansa] has, and I concur.” Turner also noted that Sansa didn’t let Jon in on her strategy to get the Knights of the Vale’s help because “she wanted all the credit.”
The Snow Job
Now that Bran knows Jon’s origin story through his visions, Hempstead Wright felt that Bran will do something since he was “shown this information for a reason… It’s imperative that he knows this and will spread the word.”
The actor also imagined how Bran would break the news to Jon: “By the way, I’m a tree wizard, and your dad isn’t your dad.”
Hold the door, Hodor!
“I did not expect the outpouring of emotion,” Nairn said about the aftermath of his character’s death. “I apologize for making you cry, but crying in a good way. Well, I’ve done my job then.” He also said it was odd that he was staying in a hotel in Los Angeles recently in which all the doorstops had “Hodor” on them.
The Battle of the Pile of Bodies
Sapochnik, who directed “The Battle of the Bastards,” revealed that the big battle scene was influenced by the German Battle of Cannae for the giant pile of bodies on the field.
“They became sitting ducks, which seemed horrible and a complete bummer,” he said and added that a few cost-cutting measured were taken, such as creating a wall of shields (to block the action that they weren’t able to shoot) and moving a group of 275 bodies from place to place to make it seem like more. Sapochnik, who isn’t one of the directors for Season 7, said that he hoped he’d come back for Season 8.
Oh, Shireen
“You would’ve heard the clang of my jaw when I read it,” Cunningham said about the burning of Shireen, who was his character’s surrogate daughter. He also revealed that his own daughter had a traumatic experience while watching that scene. “I felt like the worst dad in the world! It was appalling,” he said.
Incest Not Best For The Starks
Now that Sansa and Jon were confirmed not to be siblings (but they are first cousins!), will “Game of Thrones” try to get them together? “Jon likes redheads, he does,” Turner acknowledged, but pointed out that the two were raised as siblings. “Nothing is going to happen!”
Sam’s Death Wish
Bradley thought it would be poetic justice if Sam eventually died by trying to reach a book on a very high bookshelf at the Citadel and then pulling a pile of them down on him as he toppled backwards. “Sam trying to fight his way out of the books. It wasn’t battle that had killed him, it was books,” said Bradley.
A Girl Is Not The Waif
Marsay denied a fan theory that Arya and The Waif are one and the same. “I think the theory was a cool one, but Arya is Arya, and that’s her journey,” she said.
“Game of Thrones” Season 7, which will consist of only seven episodes, will be released in Summer 2017.
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