Game of Thrones season 8 filming lasting until summer 2018
In a new interview with TV Guide, Cunningham (who takes on the role of Davos on the series) made it clear just how long we are going to see filming on the series last — not only that, but we also made it clear that these episodes will also likely feature a rather extended run time as a result of the sheer amount of content that is being shot:
“[The episodes are] definitely going to be bigger and what I hear is longer … We’re filming right up until the summer. When you think about it, up until last season we’d have six months to do ten episodes, so we’re [doing] way more than that for six episodes. So that obviously will translate into longer episodes.”
We don’t necessarily look at this as a sign that every season 8 episode will run for 90 minutes, but we imagine that there could be many within the 70-90 minute range. One of the biggest reasons for the longer production cycle is probably just due to the inability to have multiple production units running at the same time. In the earlier seasons it was easier to do different units when there were so many different stories going — for example, Emilia Clarke could film her Daenerys arc in Morocco, and since Kit Harington wasn’t doing anything with her, he could film the bulk of his scenes in Northern Ireland or Belfast. Since everything is being filmed at one time things are likely to take so much more time. To go along with that, you do also have to remember that there are probably many epic battles being filmed given that this is the final season and the whole fate of the world is at stake. This probably means even more extras, more costumes, and more things that can go wrong. Production probably needs a little more of a contingency in this department than they have had before.
This news probably also ensures that Game of Thrones season 8 will not air on HBO until you roll around to 2019, mostly because this is a show with as lengthy of a production cycle as it gets even after filming is wrapped. Remember that you’ve got so many CGI dragons and characters to throw in there, let alone the music, ADR work, editing, and everything else that is being done with some of your average TV show.
When do you think that Game of Thrones season 8 should premiere?
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