Things are heating up in Westeros as the battle for the Iron Throne takes a step closer to being a goddamn bloodbath.
Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, a fresh bunch of promo photos from HBO have been released. It’s safe to say those little baby dragons from season 2 are no longer so cute, but honed for war.
Do you see that tiny chick sitting on that dragon? That’s Daenerys! Shit is gonna go down and you do not want to be in the way of that dragon.
Director Matt Shakman told EW, “The dragons this year are the size of 747s,” with Drogon being the largest of the three. Apparently that jet of fire from his mouth is 30 feet in diameter. Oh heck.
Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) seems to be prepared to venture out of Winterfell – maybe to find one of his lost siblings? If he truly is leaving, what will happen with Sansa and the governing of Winterfell?
Is that our fierce Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) coming home to Winterfell? It sure looks like it from her gear and the fact the photo looks like the snowy and grey vibe we’re used to seeing. How will her family react to her return? What will she be like now? That horse better be taking her to Winterfell. Let this Stark live!
Jamie Lannnister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) casually chilling in the Great Hall, looking ready to do the same old manipulation and tricks we all know they’re capable of doing. Only season 7 will now reveal what their dynamic is like after the tension in season 6.
Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) cracking a smile and having a jolly good time on set. Which probably the complete opposite of what is happening to her character – unless a certain ginger Wildling is hanging around?
Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivji) is such a cutie! Who wants to bet he is totally waiting to catch a glimpse of Brienne?
Oh my God, leave Sansa alone! Can we just get Arya to rock up and shake some sense into her sister (Sophie Turner) to remind her that Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) is a total knob. Come on, girl! What are you doing?
These photos are simply a tease into what HBO have in store for us. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kit Harrington explains the change in pace for season 7:
“This season is really different than any other season because it’s accelerating
toward the end, a lot of stuff collides and happens much much quicker than you’re used to seeing on Thrones … it’s so different than what everybody is used to. It’s quite exciting.”
The growing tension and power across the last six seasons will play out in this season as it all comes together for these characters.
“For a long time we’ve been talking about ‘the wars to come,’” showrunner David Benioff says. “Well, that war is pretty much here. So it’s really about trying to find a way to make the storytelling work without feeling like we’re rushing it — you still want to give characters their due, and pretty much all the characters that are now left are all important characters. Even the ones who might have started out as relatively minor characters have become significant in their own right.”
As a side note, Bryan Cogman says, “There are White Walkers and dragons and once they start to come together the story has to go where it goes.”
It’s not like fans have been waiting for this for six years. An epic battle between White Walkers and dragons? Um, yes. Brace yourselves for July 16, folks. Winter has only just begun.