“There’s only one war that matters…and it is here.”
If one was to compare HBO’s Game of Thrones to a chessboard – a sprawling chessboard littered with dead bodies, mind you – then it seems most of the show’s power players are now packed into a corner as we approach the eighth and final season.
And with filming well underway, fansite Watchers on the Wall has uncovered new intel that appears to suggest next year’s series finale will herald a major, potentially Earth-shaking showdown in the Dragonpit of King’s Landing. Seville typically doubles as a real-life location for the Colosseum-like arena, and sure enough, a number of cast members have been spotted in the Spanish city along with their respective stunt doubles, which tells us that showrunners David Benioff and D.B Weiss are cooking up something big.
In fact, those sources close to WOTW claim Benioff and Weiss were both present at the scene, presiding over a cast list comprised of *deep breath* Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) and Samwell Tarly (John Bradley).
A follow-up report from Winter is Coming also reveals that Jamie (Nikolaj Coster Waldau), Varys (Conleith Hill) and Gendry (Joe Dempise) were present, too, leaving only Daenerys, Cersei, The Hound and Theon Greyjoy by the wayside. A telling clue? Or simply a red herring designed to throw everyone off the scent? You decide!
Once Westworld‘s second season is taken offline, HBO is expected to devote its full attention to Game of Thrones season 8 ahead of its own premiere in April of 2019. It’ll run for a total of six episodes, though the network has promised feature-length installments in order to give Thrones the finale it deserves.