Game of Thrones

Among the myriad reasons presented for Game of Thrones Season 7 shrinking to seven episodes over the usual ten, producers explained that the level of production could no longer accommodate so many episodes a year. Now, comments from star Iain Glen support that, noting that Season 7 will take just as long to film as full seasons.

By now, you’ve likely seen some dozen of permutations on the sentiment that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin must have written 2016, given all the high-profile deaths. Most recently, fans lost both Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher and Watership Down author Richard Adams, for which Martin offer his own thoughts on this “wretched year.”

There’s very little guideline for the remaining Game of Thrones seasons; whether to expect another all-out battle toward the end of Season 7’s truncated run, or if all major conflicts will wrap up before the final White Walker showdown in Season 8. Still, Season 7 laid out some very clear confrontations ahead, and new set reports suggest Daenerys might be out of her element in a major battlefield showdown.

Even at a reduced episode order, Game of Thrones Season 7 brings with it the likelihood of even more character connections than the prior year. We know travel times are no longer a concern, but a new Season 7 production report places a surprising figure within striking distance of King’s Landing.

By now, Game of Thrones stars have gotten pretty good at turning the hype machine for upcoming episodes, and Season 7 is no exception. Maisie Williams is already proclaiming Season 7 as the year Game of Thrones “gets REAL,” while poor Kit Harington appears to have been denied scripts. Still exciting, though!

It'll be a cold winter waiting for Game of Thrones Season 7 next summer, but that didn't stop the ever-expanding cast from assembling at Comic-Con 2016 to excite fans and tease what's ahead. Filming won't begin until later this year, but what major details did the major Game-players reveal from the assembled cast in San Diego? Our full panel report!

Game of Thrones bosses David Benioff and Dan Weiss haven’t followed up to confirm a potential 13 episodes between Seasons 7 and 8, let alone the later production date to accommodate winter weather, but we may yet have our first new clue. Reports suggest Game of Thrones Season 7 will shoot partly in Iceland in early 2017, but what does that mean for a start date?

Game of Thrones is normally one to employ its most gruesome and spectacular visuals in moderation, a point well-embodied by The Mountain’s undead (but heavily concealed) transformation. Season 6 offered a brief glimpse of the horror in shadow, but gaze for yourself into Ser Gregor Clegane’s putrid new visage.

The mystery of Jon Snow’s parentage over the years became more of a waiting game for Game of Thrones fans, one with an answer that famously greenlit the HBO series in the first place. We haven’t heard author George R.R. Martin weighing on any of Game of Thrones Season 6's big reveals, but it seems the author had covertly tipped his hand to Jon Snow’s father at least as early as 2002.

Game of Thrones may have left Cersei in a position of power greater than any she’d achieved thus far, even if the new Queen’s reign was likely to be a short one, with Daenerys’ dragon-backed fleet racing for Kings’ Landing. Fans have long-theorized who might be the one to ultimately end Cersei’s life, but who does Lena Headey feel deserves the honor?

The “Battle of the Bastards” may be behind us, but Ser Davos’ fighting days are far from over when Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres. Some new photos see actor Liam Cunningham undergoing some bareknuckle (bare finger stump?) training from UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh, just as The Mountain before him.

Whether or not Game of Thrones’ big “Battle of the Bastards” served any purpose but to unseat Ramsay Bolton, there’s no arguing the technical wizardry of the HBO drama’s first proper battle. And while we’ve gotten a few insights into production, check out the vast layering of FX shots in a new reel, to place soldier after soldier after giant after horse into one frame.