‘Game of Thrones’ @ Comic-Con: Cast Talks Jon Snow's Paternity Reveal, the Impending Stark Family Feud and More
In lieu of a three-eyed raven, the Game of Thrones cast and showrunners on Friday did their best to predict what the future holds for the HBO series during their Comic-Con panel.
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Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, director Miguel Saopchnik, as well as stars Liam Cunningham, John Bradley, Nathalie Emmanuel, Conleth Hill, Sophie Turner, Iwan Rheon, Faye Marsay, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Kristian Nairn were all on hand to discuss the events of Season 6, as well as what could happen in Season 7:
* Benioff, once again explaining why we have to wait until Summer 2017 for more episodes: “Winter is here, and we have to shoot in places where there are trees. We have to wait until leaves fall off. … There’s no way to get the show out there until Summer.”
Watch the Season 7 tease:
* Rheon, in defense of Ramsay (dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” by moderator Rob McElhenney): “Poor guy’s had a tough upbringing. He’s a bastard in the North, which is always difficult, and he’s been looking for his father’s love and acceptance all his life.” (Turner’s sarcastic response: “Boo. Hoo.”)
* Nairn on the response to Hodor’s death: “It has been overwhelming. I did not expect it to be so crazy. I’m really, really flattered as well. It’s blown my mind. I was in LA a few days ago at a hotel, and all their door stops said ‘Hodor’ on them. I went, ‘Really?’ It’s been incredible. The scene was incredibly written and directed. I knew I was going to be killed, but I didn’t expect the outpouring of emotions.”
* Though Sapochnik is not listed as a director for Season 7, he “would very much hope” to be back for Season 8.
See the Season 6 blooper reel:
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* Cunningham on Shireen’s death: “When I got the script for the first time, you would have heard the clang of my jaw hitting the ground when I read it. … That relationship with Shireen was very easy. She’s an absolutely gorgeous human being, and a beautiful actress — and these guys keep taking the people I love working with away from me.”
* Bradley said his dream death for Sam would be falling off a ladder in his new library: “Sam’s always been told that books are follies and to be dismissed.” He then invited the audience to imagine Sam in a Battle of the Bastards-type battle with a bunch of books.
* “It’s hard to know what the future brings for her, but she genuinely believes in Daenerys and her claim. Daenerys has saved her live and liberated her and acknowledged her brilliance. … These two women respect each other and lift each other up. … I hope Missandei continues to support Daenerys, and they continue to be this sort-of girl power couple.
* Turner theorizing why Sansa didn’t tell Jon about the Knights of the Vale: “She wanted all the credit, and it was a more dramatic moment when they showed up. It made for really good television. Now here’s the question I’m wanting to know: Why It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia didn’t get an Emmy nomination?” (McElhenney appreciated that one.)
* As for Jon and Sansa’s conflicting aspirations: “I’m not sure she believes Jon is capable of running Winterfell and the North,” Turned said. “She thinks he doesn’t have the intellect, the knowledge and the experience that she has … and I concur. But she knows he has those Stark morals, and inevitably, he’ll make the right decision. But whether it’s going to benefit anyone is another story.”
* Marsay was quick to shoot down the theory that Arya and the Waif are the same person: “I think the theory was a cool one. It would have been really cool, but I think Arya is Arya, and that’s her journey. The way it is now is the best way.”
* On the reveal of Jon Snow’s true lineage: “He might not know why that is, but for some reason, it’s imperative that he spreads the word,” Hempstead-Wright said. “I presume he’ll somehow tell Jon, but I’m not sure how he’ll respond when Bran shows up and says, ‘I’m a Tree Wizard and your dad isn’t your dad.”
Your thoughts on the cast’s teases for Season 7? Drop ’em all in a comment below.
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