In the space of just a few days, we’ve learned loads of new details about the final season of Game of Thrones in advance of its premiere next year. For one thing, HBO has officially revealed that it will air in April (which, cough, we told you was the likely premiere month in an earlier post here). HBO also gave us a teaser trailer.
And now, in a Reddit AMA session, the director of 50 percent of season 8 — three of its six episodes — has revealed a few other details, such as the fact that every episode, at more than 60 minutes long, is going to feel like a small movie.
If you’re caught up with Game of Thrones, then you’re already familiar with David Nutter’s directorial work on the show. He’s helmed episodes that contained seminal moments like the Red Wedding and Cersei’s “walk of atonement.” Here are a few highlights relative to season 8 from his AMA:
“Season 8 episodes will all I think be longer than 60 minutes. They’ll be dancing around the bigger numbers, I know that for sure.”
Also, about how it all comes together by way of wrapping up: “I’m completely satisfied with how season 8 ends. I think that [showrunners] David and Dan did a tremendous job, and they took into consideration what the fans want, as well as what is right as far as storytelling is concerned. I guarantee there’s going to be lots of surprises and shocking moments, but it’s really very compelling stuff.”
David goes on to explain that he actually hadn’t read the books before directing the episodes he’s been involved with so far. He wanted to, as he puts it, let the scripts guide where things went. Also particularly interesting was how GoT showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss took him to a restaurant in Reykjavik to convince him to direct the infamous “Red Wedding” episode. They had a multi-course, multi-wine dinner, as both men convinced him to do it.
“I had no idea the pressure I was under except the pressure I always put myself under in order to make it great,” Nutter says during the AMA. “The more I get into the project of course the more pressure I realize there really was. That was one of the ultimate moments of the series as far as some major characters are concerned and I just wanted to make it good and live up to the books.
“One of the most interesting things to me that surprised me the most was the responses of the audience — the YouTube videos showing people reacting to what they were watching I felt great about cause I felt like I had succeeded in doing so. As far as season 8 compared to the Red Wedding I just have to tell you — hang onto your seat cause it’s going to be special.”
(Gulp!)
