If there’s one thing that geeks have been raving about for months (other than the new “Avengers” movie) it’s the eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones”. Who will sit on the Iron Throne? Who will get axed? Will anyone survive the White Walkers’ assault on King’s Landing? You didn’t know the Night King and his undead dragon were going to reach the capital of Westeros? Ok, maybe these aren’t concrete facts. But people are spreading some exciting rumors. So if you’re like me and don’t want to know even the slightest spoilers, don’t read any further. But if your curiosity is growing stronger – hop on the hype train going from beyond the Wall all the way to the Dragonpit.
Here are a few juicy “Game of Thrones” season 8 rumors and (possible) spoilers. You’ve been warned!
1. King’s Landing Will Get LIT AF!
With a franchise as huge as “GoT”, there’s always someone with a camera, ready to sneak a peek at the filming process. Apparently, some random person on Twitter noticed that the Red Keep set at King’s Landing was seemingly scorched to the ground, but a lonely Lannister banner was still flying high. More photo evidence followed from other sources, cementing the fate of King’s Landing. I don’t think anyone was shocked to hear that Cersei would finally manage to destroy everything she had, one way or another. It’s still mysterious – even though we know the outcome, we still have no idea what sparked it.
2. Where’s the Bloody Mountain?
The fans have been waiting for the Cleganebowl for years, and the rumor has it, we might not actually see the legendary battle between brothers Hound and Mountain. Almost a year ago, the actor playing the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) was asked to shed some light on his character’s status in the show, but he knew better not to divulge any gossip. This of course led to wild speculations: Will he die and be reborn again? Will Arya cross a name off her to-do list? Perhaps he won’t even be in the last season.
3. The Return of Lady Lyanna Mormont
It’s not every day we see a small character like this enter the big league with Daenerys, Jon Snow, or Cersei. This little girl has made quite an impression! According to the paparazzi (or as they like to call themselves, the Watchers on the Wall) Lyanna was spotted on set in Belfast, so she’s clearly still in the game. How will she react to Jon Snow bending the knee? Probably not too well, I’d imagine. Also, this means she’ll finally meet her uncle Jorah!
4. Arya Stark Will Kill Plenty of People and/or Get Shanked
Thanks to Maisie Williams’ Instagram photo of her blood-covered sneakers and the fact that this was her last day of shooting in Belfast, I can see two ways this could go. One scenario: Arya becomes a true master assassin, kills everyone, gets soaked in blood, and essentially rides off into the sunset. Another scenario: Arya still kills a ton of walkers or people but gets overtaken in the end, sacrificing her life for Nymeria or her brother Jon.
5. All Roads Lead to Dragonpit
Apparently, we’ll be getting a lot more scenes in the Dragonpit. The so-called Watchers on the Wall have somehow discovered that the Roman ruins of Itálica in Seville, Spain were booked for almost four weeks of shooting. That’s definitely more than just a meet-up spot. Sources say that there were no extras present, so this could mean we’ll be getting a lot of screen time with main characters.
6. Sansa Leaves Winterfell. Again.
Sophie Turner noted in one of the interviews that her last days of shooting were in Spain (Dragonstone and Dragonpit), unlike her on-screen sister Arya, who wrapped up in Belfast (Winterfell). Looks like our princess will be running South to have a word with Cersei and other main characters. This is all taking into account the rumor that Sansa will be ruling Westeros when all is said and done – it’s not such a big stretch after all. Some fans even speculate that Gendry, Baratheon’s bastard, may come into play to legitimize her claim to the Iron Throne. All bets are up in the air, at this point.
7. Literally the Biggest On-Screen Battle Ever Filmed Is Coming
Needless to say, “GoT” has some of the most epic and brutal battle scenes ever filmed. And season 8 will supposedly be even more gritty and fantastical than ever before. Inside sources claim that a new record has been set. The previous record holder of the “Biggest TV Battle” title was “GoT”’s own “Battle of the Bastards” with 25 days of filming, but the new one claims to have doubled that with a whopping 55 consecutive nights, 11 weeks, and 3 locations! This historic event will most likely take place in the North, and will probably put the armies of Night King and United Winterfell face to face. What a time to be alive!
8. A lot of people are going to die
You may think this is a given, due to what we’ve been through so far every season. But in this case, last does not mean least – quite the opposite instead; the final season has some of the greatest characters seen on television, and we just know for a fact that most of them (if not all) will die sooner or later. So who should we get ready to say goodbye to? According to an insider, when the cast did the table reading of the last episode/scene for the first time, many of them started crying as they “died”. It sounds like the last battle will be the bloodiest.
My personal list of potential goners includes Cersei, Jon, Daenerys, Sansa, and Jorah, among others. You can’t say they didn’t warn us. As they say, “when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” Apparently, dying is much easier.
