Game of Thrones prep work begins in Cáceres & Bronn to fight in key action sequence 

As the Itálica shoot comes to a close, the cast and crew start migrating west to Cáceres. We update you on the preparations being made at Trujillo Castle and in Malpartida and bring you news of Bronn‘s involvement in one of season seven’s largest action scenes.

Just finished 13 hour day of filming. No time for rest. Next up training! #NoExcuses #AimHuge #Squats

in Itálica’s amphitheater, and by Hafþór‘s account it was a hell of a long day’s work. That’s apparently not a excuse for not going to the gym, and can we disagree? The Mountain needs to be approprietely mountainous. Tomorrow, filming continues in Seville’s Royal Shipyards, and the very next day in Córdoba’s Almodóvar del Río Castle. The cast and crew will work there for a week, and only then they will move to the focus of today’s news: Cáceres.

Reportedly, only the castle’s inner courtyard will be used

reports filming began today at Trujillo Castle, but that’s premature: As we previously noted, the castle is closed starting today and will remain so until the 17th, but they will only

for three days. Trujillo will most likely undergo a week of prep work before

filming happens between Monday the 14th and Wednesday the 16th.

did reveal a few worthwhile details. We were already aware of the hundred horses already on site and the military training of the extras, but they also claim that today

began doing rehearsals in Malpartida, in particular at Los Barruecos. Most of the filming in Malpartida, however, will be in a private estate by the name of Las Breñas, which will endure the longest

, both locations in Malpartida will be used from November 19th to December 12th, even though the initial batch of extras is required to be available by the 14th; and Las Breñas will be closed and ready for filming from the 16th onwards.

If you want to know more about the elaborate action sequence filmed in Malpartida, read last week’s report on the locations Game of Thrones will use in Southern Spain. Summing up: It’s going to be the big field battle of season seven, and it will involve at least one dragon, two armies, and plenty of main characters. We knew Jaime would probably be thrown into this mix, so it’s not surprising to learn that a certain former mercenary may also be involved.

shows us Jerome Flynn enjoying lunch in the Old Town of Cáceres (also a filming location, though the dates are unknown.) Take a look:

Flynn popping up in Cáceres just as rehearsals begin nearby can’t be a coincidence. Expect to see Bronn fighting his second large-scale battle next season. The first one got him a knighthood and a last name, Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. Will this new encounter result in yet another promotion, or at least the many riches the Lannisters have been promising him for so long? Or will this be the tragic end for the up-jumped sellsword? Discuss in the comment section! As always, please be considerate to those who may want to avoid certain spoilers and tag anything that isn’t revealed in this report.

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So, is it just me or was that a very short shooting window in the “Dragonpit,” especially after so much set construction? The scene with 17 main cast members seems to be more of a meeting of sorts then, as expected/suspected.

So, is it just me or was that a very short shooting window in the “Dragonpit,” especially after so much set construction?The scene with 17 main cast members seems to be more of a meeting of sorts then, as expected/suspected.

They filmed exactly for a week, seven days. So yeah, obviously there is no elaborate action sequence in the Dragonpit. Still, seven days for a single scene is quite a lot. Either there are a few scenes there or it’s a hell of a long sequence. It’d make sense, with so many main characters involved.

I hope Bronn doesn’t die, he is the best one liner. So we have two big action scenes this season, cool! 😀

I doubt either of them separately is going to be as large as the Battle of the Bastards, but together… Yeah, it’s gonna be an explosive season.

So we have two big action scenes this season, cool!

Luka Nieto, So it was even that long. It felt like they were there just a few days and a bunch of that was “goofin’ off” at games and such. 🙂

will they be filming exterior king’s landing scenes in caceres? i really want filming pics

will they be filming exterior king’s landing scenes in caceres? i really want filming pics

They’re filming in the streets of the Old Town of Cáceres, so it’s definitely going to be a city. I doubt it’s Oldtown, the only other possibility, so yes, I’d say Cáceres being King’s Landing is a safe bet. It will also be the most open location in Southern Spain by far, so hopefully we’ll get good pictures and video.

Because we alredy now episode 6 will have someting beyond the wall andbwont be small at all since alan aylor is directing and he is just doing this one episode.

But so this sea battle will be something big? They didint filmed yet right?

Greyworm is probably in the battle too. We saw him filming Dany’s arrival and something in Gastelugatxe. And he was nowhere to be seen during Shakman’s episodes and the finale.

A sea battle would be filmed with their only prop ship, in-studio. So I don’t think there’s a way for us to know if they’ve filmed it yet.

And whatever is happening beyond the Wall isn’t a proper battle. It may be an enormous fight with lots of wights involved, but I don’t think it qualifies as a battle. But yes, season seven will have three large action sequences that we know of, two of them battles between armies.

Well, in my personal opinion, Jacob not being one of the 17 I suspect something happens to him. He could simply be recovering from injury again of course, but it doesn’t look good.

Could you elaborate and express yourself properly instead of whatever that is?

Luka Nieto: Could you elaborate and express yourself properly instead of whatever that is?

“Ah indeed, I doth indicate my dismay at what would look to be the potential demise of our dear, humorous and irreverend sellsword. ”

And a major action sequence with the White Walkers is almost a given as well. Lot’s of set pieces this season, it doesn’t seem like there will be any single “moment of the season” type of thing akin to Hardhome/Blackwater/BOTB etc.

Jerome Flynn was seen in Seville, which implies that he was involved in the Dragonpit sequence(s), which in turn implies that Bronn will make it into the finale. Moreover, in Ep 608 (No-one) it was strongly foreshadowed that Bronn would become an acting commander of the Lannister forces: Jaime’s right hand he lost. For some time I even thought that he might replace Jaime as a whole, but if the leaks are true

, Jaime won’t be able to rebel against his sister-lover: not yet. I just wonder how Euron will fit into this pretty picture of a happy twincest couple. I thought that Cersei will break with Jaime in Ep 701 (and lock him up), but though that is not happening so early (as it seems now), it may still happen in the finale or in S8 (somehow I don’t believe that Cersei as she is will simply allow Jamie to break free and leave her just like that: she will seek vengeance and her vengeance will be merciless, unless someone stops her).

However, the most intriguing question is who will be directing this ambush-battle sequence, cause recently I started thinking that it’s something better fit for Ep 6 (Allan Taylor) than Ep 3 (Mark Mylod). I lean towards the later still, but who knows. If Allan Taylor appears on the set (or rather field) a lot of S7 predictions will have to be reconsidered.

And I also hope that Cáceres city will provide us as many valuable spoilers and leaked scenes and the Basque Country (God bless it!). And I wouldn’t mind a leak from the Royal Shipyards too: IMO it’s legit to assume that it will serve as some kind of dungeon underneath the Dragonpit, but what Cersei will be keeping there: wildfire, detainees, or a dragon captured during the battle of the … let’s say “queens”? But there is no hope to learn that until the finale I believe.

so pumped to see bronn in action again, looking forward to watch this season in action next year ^^

Thank you, that’s much better 😛

(Honestly, I couldn’t tell whether you were lamenting Bronn’s possible demise or complaining about some other part of the report or something else entirely.)

Yes, it’ll be much more of a “war season.” Our first one, in fact. It will be what season two would have been if they had had the budget to depict Robb’s battles. They didn’t, so the War of the Five Kings only had one battle on-screen.

I still lament that we never got to see Robb fight. I’d have accepted a slightly smaller Blackwater battle in exchange for a brief depiction of the Battle of Oxcross. We got to see the beginning of it, with the two lookouts being killed by Grey Wind and Robb advancing; and then we cut to the bloody aftermath. That’s where Robb meets Talisa, isn’t it? We even got to see the consequences in King’s Landing, with Joffrey torturing Sansa and stripping her down. So the importance of the battle in the story was clear. Still, I’d have been more than happy with a 2 minutes action scene focused entirely on Robb, with no sprawling CG army needed thanks to the battle taking place in a cramped camp full of tents, and at night to boot.

Hm, it’s obvious I have thought a lot about this, isn’t it? It’s just such a missed opportunity we never got to see the Young Wolf in action.

Don’t forget the Riverrun: something has to happen there as well, based on the PAP4U photos. And Dorne will hardly surrender peacefully as well.

And then there should be the white casing sequence.

So, I guess that at least 5 episodes out of 7 will have battle scenes, though not all of them of the same scale.

Yes ! I can only imagine what they’ll do in S8 with such a huge budget. Excited is an understatement. But what exactly is the second war we’ll see this season ? Aside from

the Targaryen-Lannister ambush and the Dragonpit + wight hunt scenes which aren’t really battles, do we have any confirmation of a second battle ?

No, they did. It was one of the first things they filmed in NI (there were pictureds from the set by PAP4Y). And the filming also took only a week or so. IMO, the filming was focused on Euron crashing Yara’s ship, and the rest of the battle will be CGI.

Nope, no time for “fillers” and unnecessary or breather scenes anymore. No more sideways or backwards story arcs. The characters are pretty much completely “built” and all that’s left is for them to make their final set of decisions. It’s gotten to the point now that almost every move each character makes and every scene filmed is another step directly toward the series climax. From the looks of it most of those steps will be big. There probably won’t be big visual elements in every episode but I think all of them will have major dramatic scenes not unlike how

Nope. We think it’s pretty big. But probably not the kind of thing that takes half the episode or more, as the most central character involved seems to be Theon, who isn’t exactly one of the few main protagonists.

Inga: Don’t forget the Riverrun: something has to happen there as well, based on the PAP4U photos. And Dorne will hardly surrender peacefully as well.

What photos? If you mean the photos he took of the Riverrun gate set at Corbet, well, the set is still standing, of course, but we can’t be sure if they used it. I imagine they did, but we can’t be sure, can we? Unless I missed something. I wouldn’t expect a big battle there, or in Dorne for that matter.

“Action sequence” does not equal “battle”. Yes, there’ll be plenty of action sequences in season seven, many of them much greater than the average action scene in the show. But we have only heard about two proper battles.

1. The Lannisters sacking a castle followed by the Targaryen ambush (which I consider a single battle sequence; I doubt we’ll see the sack in as much detail). 2. The sea battle with Euron against his nephews and the Sand Snakes.

Those are the two battles we know of. Then there are other action scenes, like the wight hunt, which may be an enormous sequence. Who knows, it may even turn out to be more expensive than the sea battle, if the whole wight army appears. That doesn’t make it a “battle”, necessarily.

Do we know in which episode the sea battle will take place?

No idea. Mid-season, probably? Before the land battle, I think. My best guess would be episode two or three. But please don’t hold me to that.

Thank you. You are very kind answerering everyone. Now something that i find weird is that preveously the filming in las brenas would take place 14 november to 15 december, now this notice brings that will be 19 november to 12 december? 32 days to 24 days filming is some considering diference. Do you or sue know how many days exactly the BotB had of filming?

Probably big enough to make someone fall out of a boat 😀

I think people consider it short because unlike Dragon Stone we didn’t see barely anything from inside the sets of them filming. We were spoiled in Dragon Stone, I don’t imagine any other set will be as easy to see so many spoilers.

The Battle of the Bastard took about a month to film. I don’t know the exact days. As for the new battle, there are conflicting dates, as you explained yourself. It’ll probably have a shorter shoot than the one from season six. Expect more than 24, but also certainly fewer days than 32.

Exactly. It just feels shorter because there are fewer spoilers.

Filming in Cáceres may be as leaky as the Basque shoot, though. They’re filming in an incredibly open and crowded area of the Old Town of Cáceres, at the Plaza Mayor. Even if their security is great, we’re bound to see

May I suggest that speculations are left to the regular members? I feel like the wotw admins should only comment if they are absolutely certain about their replies being correct in order to avoid misunderstandings?

Met Bronn while shopping for vegtables in Wales. .love him and his character. .don’t want him to die.

I referred to the photos published in the following article from WotW: http://watchersonthewall.com/gwendoline-christie-aidan-gillen-kristofer-hivju-set-northern-ireland/. And there was a report that Gemma Whelan (Yara) hurt her back and had to be hospitalized after filming (http://watchersonthewall.com/game-thrones-cast-member-injured-plus-emmy-weekend/).

So, it’s legit to assume that the naval battle (or whatever the sequence qualifies for) was filmed in the second week of September.

OK, I can agree that not every action sequence qualifies as battle from the cinematographic point of view, but I just wanted to say that we are going to have some 5 action sequences which will show battles/castle seizures, even though only the ambush-battle will be showed on a full scale.

Oh yeah I forgot about Whelan getting hurt 😉

Noooooo, I love Bronn, PLEASE All Gods save him.

Met Jerome in Wales shopping for vegtables. .love his character. .love him

Thank you, that’s much better 😛

(Honestly, I couldn’t tell whether you were lamenting Bronn’s possible demise or complaining about some other part of the report or something else entirely.)

Yes, it’ll be much more of a “war season.” Our first one, in fact. It will be what season two would have been if they had had the budget to depict Robb’s battles. They didn’t, so the War of the Five Kings only had one battle on-screen.

I still lament that we never got to see Robb fight. I’d have accepted a slightly smaller Blackwater battle in exchange for a brief depiction of the Battle of Oxcross. We got to see the beginning of it, with the two lookouts being killed by Grey Wind and Robb advancing; and then we cut to the bloody aftermath. That’s where Robb meets Talisa, isn’t it? We even got to see the consequences in King’s Landing, with Joffrey torturing Sansa and stripping her down. So the importance of the battle in the story was clear. Still, I’d have been more than happy with a 2 minutes action scene focused entirely on Robb, with no sprawling CG army needed thanks to the battle taking place in a cramped camp full of tents, and at night to boot.

Hm, it’s obvious I have thought a lot about this, isn’t it? It’s just such a missed opportunity we never got to see the Young Wolf in action.

I’d be lying if I said I don’t have the whole scene planned out in my head. I don’t mean the ideal Battle of Oxcross, but a more feasible scene for the budget of season two: Just a few minutes, at night, all of it among the tents at the ambushed Lannister camp, focused entirely on Robb battling among no more than 50 or so extras, with shaky-cam to hide the limitations of the scene (I’m not a fan of shaky-cam, but it does hide cheaper production values.) It would just be a taste of the battle to give us a sense of the chaos, and that the Lannisters have no chance as they were taken by surprises. And to give us our only scene with Robb fighting a battle! Then a few tents are lit on fire and finally a cut to the bloody aftermath we did get to see in the show.

Luka Nieto: m, it’s obvious I have thought a lot about this, isn’t it? It’s just such a missed opportunity we never got to see the Young Wolf in action.

I expressed a similar sentiment 3 or 4 years ago. A real pity we didn’t get to see a single battle in what was after all the main conflict and narrative thrust of the first three seasons: Starks vs Lannisters. In a perfect world, we’d have seen Green Fork or Robb’s ambush in the Whispering Wood in 1×09 and then Oxcross in Season 2.

No idea. Mid-season, probably? Before the land battle, I think. My best guess would be episode two or three. But please don’t hold me to that.

I am so bored of Bronn and his supposedly witty one liners. Never understood fandom’s love for him. Here’s hoping that Dany manages to take him down.

Kit Harington must be pleased to sit out a battle and not be involved in strenuous physical activity for one season. That will come next year.

From the sighting of Podeswa on the set with Theon and Ironborn (the fight) we can safely assume the naval battle happens in episode 1, then Theon reunites with Jon in episode 4/5. Postponing it to another episode would just make make things too crammed. The battle at sea will be episode 1, the ambush episode 2 or 3, and whatever happens on Icelandic sets in episode 6.

So now the shipyard scene/s is/are left in Sevilla. Then King’s Landing, Oldtown and the ambush to be filmed. Sounds like Kit’s done with Spanish filming this week. Time to head back to NI.

There’s episode 6 for him to film. He will have to engage in strenuous filming this year too.

Almodóvar del Río Castle looks a lot like it could be Highgarden to me? That was my first thought. I don’t know if there’s any spoilers about Highgarden, so just personal opinion..

So Kit is done filming in Spain, right? I didn’t see Liam leaving and he should be too if Kit is not filming anymore. Next is filming battle and other stuff Jon is not part of. Alfie and Natalie too.

There is Iceland filming and Kit is probably part of it. Wight hunt mission.

Have we found out what is going to be filmed at Almodóvar del Río Castle? I remember Javi Marcos’ speculation that it can stand in as the courtyard in Dragonstone. So maybe we’ll see the people who filmed in Gaztelugatxe and Itzurun beach head over there?

Exactly, it would hardly have required a huge budget or CGI, it could have been done quite simply or as you say with a style that disguises the lack of the former….good thing we have head-movies? 😉

I probably couldn’t do even one Hafthor style squat.

I started to think that Jaime and Cersei can kill each other in series finale.

For some time I had been guessing that Jaime would kill Cersei in season 7 finale, then ride to north with Brienne, fight against WW and die heroically in series finale in the final battle saving either Bran or Jon etc.

But now it seems like Cersei won’t die this season and will make it to season 8. The first reason why I thought Jaime would outlive Cersei was that I was always confident that Jaime would fight against WW with Brienne and have a romance with her, Jaime’s Weirwood dream/prophecy in the books is a big hint for it. And the second reason is that in Norse mythology Jaime’s parallel characters are destined to die by killing a monster/enemy and being killed by it. So, I was thinking that Jaime would die later in the north in a battle, after killing Cersei.

But if Cersei survives until series finale, and it looks like it, she will probably turn into a real monster and possibly ally/marry with Euron or maybe even with the Night’s King in the final season. Then it would be convenient that Jaime and Cersei kill each other in series finale. Because this way Jaime does ride to north with Brienne in season 7 finale, and fights against WW, has his romance with Brienne, confronts Bran in season 8…then he kills and is killed by his ex-lover and new archenemy, Cersei…possibly protecting Brienne and Starks etc.

This way he can also be the valonqar in the books, and Jaime and Cersei actually die together as they kept foreshadowing in the books, but ironically not as lovers and in a romantic way that they had thought before…they were born together as twins/lovers, and they die together as archenemies, killing each other. And Jaime can die in Brienne’s arms too, because she is probably there and wounded Jaime lives for a minute or two after killing Cersei etc. This scenario could efficiently wrap up everything, so I think it’s possible.

How long will each episode be in season 7 as the season length is reduced

No, the naval battle definitely doesn’t take place in the premiere, and the Theon fight with his man directed by Podeswa is from the finale, I can confirm that much.

The speculation that Almodóvar would be Dragonstone never made a lick of sense to me. Almodóvar looks absolutely nothing like their Dragonstone interior sets, CG castle, or this year’s Basque exterior sets. I doubt it’s Dragonstone. Highgarden would be my best guess, followed by King’s Landing (Perhaps a new set for the Red Keep’s gardens, as they’re not filming in Croatia anymore?), or Oldtown. Granted, it’s just an opinion. I may be completely wrong! WOTW has no inside info on Almodóvar or it would have been reported. Still, the more I think about it, Highgarden is my thought as well, despite the many directors scouting the location pointing to it being a recurring location throughout the season.

We got a scoop that, unexpectedly, they’re filming in Itálica for a few more days (We’ll report on it later, along with some new info hopefully.) It’s unexpected because the production very rarely has overlapping filming days in foreign filming locations. Yet there they are, still shooting in Itálica, while they film in Seville’s Royal Shipyards, rehearse in Malpartida and do prep work in Trujillo Castle. Impressive, to say the least.

There are fewer episodes because there are more elaborate setpieces; each episode will be much more expensive and hopefully look it. So there is no reason for the runtime to be any different than it has always been; hovering over an average 55 minutes per episode.

I didn’t know the fight between Theon and his man had been confirmed to be in the season finale. I had always thought it would be in the season premiere! But now, a fight in the finale is very interesting in itself, because Theon is supposed to be in King’s Landing within the same episode. Naturally, one wonders if it takes place before or after the fateful dragonpit sequence, as well as what causes that fight to begin with.

By the way do you also happen to have a confirmation for in which episode Theon’s reunion with Jon takes place, by the way? Thanks again.

Spanish newspaper “Hoy” has published interesting information on the shooting in the Cáceres area and the timetable:

‘Juego de Tronos’ reserva 500 plazas de hotel y apartamentos

* Yesterday rehearsals with extras started at Barrueco de Arriba

* Nov 14th: Most of the team will arrive next Monday and stay until Dec 22th. There have been made about 500 room reservations in Cáceres and nearby hotels, some bigger hotels will accomodate about 70-100 team members

* Nov 16th: Start of shooting at the private area of La Breña

* Nov 19th: Start of shooting at Barrueco de Arriba (22 shooting days planned)

In another article they give us more detailed information on one shooting location in the old town of Cáceres: El rodaje llegará a las Veletas del 12 al 14 de diciembre

*Dec 12th – Dec 14th: Shooting at the Plaza de las Veletas, next to the Plaza de San Mateo

Besides, they wrote that the start of the shooting in Trujillo is supposed to be on Nov 14th.

No, the naval battle definitely doesn’t take place in the premiere, and the Theon fight with his man directed by Podeswa is from the finale, I can confirm that much.

Wait, what? The naval battle is NOT episode one? I always thought it to be somewhat “confirmed” to be right in episode one, quasi the opening sequence. That is now very suprising to me.

I don’t know really: the scene of the Ironborn bashing Theon can be in Ep 1, but it can be in Ep 7 as well and I lean towards the later, because the way Jon meets Theon in Ep 5 (I guess it’s 5, not 4) implies that Theon and all the Ironborn have screwed (had they returned victorious, their welcoming would be different methinks).

In general, the whole course of war of queens looks very messy, because Dany’s landing on Dragonstone is not a good decision from the tactical point of view: she will get stuck on an isolated island and lose communication with her westerosi allies, as well as the momentum for the attack on KL. As a result Cersei will be still standing in the season finale. But OK, I’ll try to think of some reasoning for Dany’s action.

1) Landing on Dragonstone. It could be a forced decision, if Euron scatters her fleet and prevents her landing at the intended location. We have discussed a lot, that the Stormalands would have been one of the best options for Dany, and Dorne despite of its shortcomings would have been good too, because its the closest point in Westeros. We should also have to keep in mind that Euron is supposed to take out at least one of the Sand Snakes during the naval battle (http://watchersonthewall.com/latest-belfast-sightings-exclusive-game-thrones-season-7-spoiler-report/), which implies that at the moment of the naval battle the Sand Snakes (at least some of them) will be on board of Yara’s ship.

Hence, one option is that Dany sails to Dorne, but Euron seizes Sunspear before she reaches it; some of the Sand Snakes (my guess is Ellaria and Tyenne) are taken captives, Obara and Nym escape on a ship, meet Dany somewhere near the Broken Arm of Dorne, and ask for her aid; then Dany sends Yara to reclaim Sunspear, and sails to Dragonstone planning to launch her attack from there; meanwhile, Euron beats Yara and kills the surviving Sand Snakes, whereas Theon escapes with some of the Ironborn to reach Dragonstone in Ep 5 or 4.

the leak contradicts this scenario. According that, Dany simply land on Dragonstone in Ep 1 and says to Tyrion: “Shall we begin?”

This sort of implies that at that moment her army is still intact and that her landing on Dragonstone has been planned. Indeed, if the Dornish and the Tyrell armies were marching to KL, while Dany was on the sail, her landing on Dragonstone for a short break before the final attack would make sense. However, things won’t go according to the plan. Again, Euron should seize Dorne, the surviving Sand Snakes should ask for Dany’s aid, and she should give them Yara and her fleet, so that at least one of the Sand could be taken out during Yara’s encounter with Euron.

One way or another, I expect the naval battle in Ep 2, though Ep 1 can’t be excluded either.

2) Land battle (presumably Ep 3). In general it should be the consequence of the loss of Dorne and the naval battle. Ollena’s fate is unclear: she may be captured in Sunspear, if she is still there at the moment of Euron’s surprise attack, or she may become a victim of treason in Highgarden. One way or another, Tarlies will switch allegiances after the first defeats of Dany’s forces (there is a minor possibility that they will be betrayed themselves, because Talla has a fiancé who might be interested in her becoming the only heiress, however I believe that this fiancé will rather work as a conduit facilitating Tarlies’ treason, which has been pretty much set up by portraying Randyl as someone who would hardly be compelled to fight for a queen riding a dragon and followed by a horde of the Dothraki).

Meanwhile, Dany will land in mainland Westeros unaware of the treason: I mean she absolutely has to land there, if the Dothraki and the Unsullied are supposed to take part in the ambush battle. The Lannisters may provoke her by attacking the Reach, though in such case it would be hard to explain, why Dany would go into ambush missing a perfect opportunity to seize KL. So, maybe Dany’s landing on the mainlands (Stormland’s if the map from In Production Trailer is any worth) comes first, and the Lannisters march on the Reach right afterwards is more legit: it would give some raise against time, and the Lannisters will obviously be the winners. One way or another, Higarden will fall as a result of treason/coup (I don’t believe a lady like Ollena can be beaten in a fair battle), and most probably Dany will not be aware of that. Based on the In Production Trailer shot with the Lannister banner unfolding over the box labelled “Oleena’s Carriage”, I have assumed that the Tarlies/Lannisters disguised under Tyrell armor and banners will bring the wagon train to the Dany’s camp (or make some skirmish to provoke her rush to help her “allies”) and then reveal its true nature including heavy anti-dragon weaponry hidden under all these sheaves of straw. I may be wrong: the shot may simply imply the Lannister will prevail over Ollena. But one way or another, it’s pretty clear that the wagon train with provisions Dany will be so compelled to ambush will be just a decoy and that sheaves of wheat (or whatever) we have seen prepared for filming (http://watchersonthewall.com/southern-spain-pre-filming-report/) will be used to cover anti-dragon weaponry. So, instead of ambushing the Lannisters, Dany will be ambushed herself and will be lucky to retreat alive. As far as I understand, the battle will take place somewhere near the coastal line, so she (and the Dothraki) will have a chance to make it to the ships, while the Unsullied will hold the tide to the last man. Basically, the alleged proximity of the ships, which would be required to facilitated Dany’s return to Dragonstone, implies that the first scenario is still more probable, but again who knows? Even the naval battle may happen after the land battle, if the showrunners decide to send Euron on pursuit of the retreating fleet, though in such case they will have to provide other reasonable explanation for Dany’s landing on Dragonstone.

One way or another, I believe that Dorne will bet the first piece to fall giving a major relief not only to the fandom, but also to characters like Tyrion as well, but it will cause a major domino effect and by the end of the season we will regret hating Sand Snakes and wanting their demise.

“I started to think that Jaime and Cersei can kill each other in series finale.”

Not impossible, but I think Cersei will try to kill Jaime after he leaves her, and if she succeeds, the Valonqar role will be played by Tyrion just like she always expected (bittersweet). Jaime in turn will have a chance to die in Briennes arms, but I don’t think the love between them will be of romantic character. Jaime loves Brienne as a stern mentor, as an elder sister or even a mother: she is his moral compass, not a subject of erotic desires. And Brienne loves Jaime indeed as a naughty brother or pupil who went a wrong path: she believes he can be brought back and she will do anything for that (even sacrifice her life, if needed), but that doesn’t mean she will seek or want any romance as reimbursement for her efforts.

Luka, any idea if the Sand Snakes are somehow connected to the naval battle? Or are these two entirely different events?

It was confirmed a hundred times by GRRM, several directors, and actors that Jaime and Brienne love each other romantically. It is a love story, it’s not my personal opinion, it is known.

It’s even in the commentaries of season 6 DVDs now, I watched the commentary yesterday:

Jaime and Brienne are Beauty and the Beast, it’s an adaptation of the classic tale…this was told by GRRM years ago, so I don’t understand why some people still think it’s not a romantic love. It is a romantic love, just as in Beauty and the Beast tale and many other warrior-maiden based parallel stories in mythology, history and literature.

And I am also pretty confident that not only they will have romantic relationship before Jaime dies, but they will probably get married because there is a hint for it in Jaime’s Weirwood dream/prophecy in the books too…Brienne says she “swore a holy oath” to Jaime, and “holy oath” implies marriage.

Even if they don’t get married, Jaime will impregnate Brienne %90, because that’s what happens in parallel stories…Freyr&Geror, Sigurd&Brynhildr, Odysseus&Penelope etc, as well as Beauty and the Beast tale…these are all the classic warrior-maiden stories, in which the warrior saves the maiden, gives her a magic ring or a magic sword etc, they fall in love and eventually tragically die, but in all of them they leave a child behind. For example, Freyr is the “twin brother” of Freyja, he falls in love with a “female giant”, and “gives away his magic sword” to get her. In the end they get married and have a son, before Freyr dies in the final battle.

Not to mention that Rhaegar and Lyanna is another parallel story to Jaime and Brienne…Rhaegar left his wife and children for Lyanna, they all died but R-L’s child survived. Rhaegar had revealed his love for Lyanna in Harrenhal, giving her a rose; and Jaime and Brienne took their bath in Harrenhal where they started falling in love with each other and Jaime saved Brienne from the bear pit in Harrenhal.

As you can see, these are not coincidences, Jaime and Brienne is clearly a love story. It IS romantic and sexual in nature, the story just didn’t progress enough for them to realize and admit their feelings…this will probably happen next season. Like I said, it’s not a debate anymore, it’s canon, it is known.

“No, the naval battle definitely doesn’t take place in the premiere, and the Theon fight with his man directed by Podeswa is from the finale, I can confirm that much.”

Just wrote that in the post above, and now you give a confirmation. Thanks, gland to learn that at least some of my guesses turn to be correct.

“Any idea if the Sand Snakes are somehow connected to the naval battle?”

I guess they (or at least some of them) have to end on board of Yara’s ship, if Euron is supposed to take out at least one of them according to WotW, but still there can be two different events: 1) Euron’s attack on Dorne (Sunspear) where some of the Sand Snakes are killed and/or captured, but other escape to Dany; 2) Yara’s attempt to reclaim Dorne under Dany’s command with the surviving Sand Snakes on board. See my previous post for more detailed speculation.

It wasn’t publicly confirmed, I believe. I just confirmed it to you guys 😉

I don’t know where you got that idea, I’m afraid. As far as I know it was only a theory. A strange one at that. Would they really have a naval battle in episode one, even before Daenerys lands in Dragonstone?

It’s confirmed that a naval battle will take place in which Euron is victorious. We also know he takes a Greyjoy hostage (Yara seems increasingly likely), and kills two Sand Snakes. Yeah, as far as I’m concerned we can assume it all takes place during the same conflict. Mind you, the original report wasn’t quite that specific.

I largely agree. The following is speculation, but it will be spoiler tagged nonetheless, because it’s based on filming spoilers and the like:

Dany will land in Dragonstone with her Unsullied and Dothraki, intending to wait only until her Dornish, Tyrell and Greyjoy allies secure the south, advance to the capital and siege it by land and sea. Then Dany would make use of her perfect position inside Blackwater Bay to stage her own attack of King’s Landing at the same time, except by sea and air. But, of course, everything will go wrong. Before any of this can happen, I bet Euron will first cripple the Greyjoy and Dornish fleets, eliminating and taking hostage all their leadership except Theon (who isn’t exactly in great standing among the ironborn.) Then Jaime will sack what I gather is Highgarden, eliminating Olenna and her forces from the board. Jaime will be ambushed, and they will lose against Dany, her dragons and presumably her Dothraki horde, but even then Dany will have lost most of her Westerosi allies, likely with the only exception of Theon and some of the Iron Fleet, and by staging that ambush she will have already admitted her plans and prospects have changed. A simultaneous attack by land, sea, and air with the aid (and air of legitimacy) brought by three Westerosi armies will no longer be possible. By her own volition or advised by her council, and with the apocalyptic threat of the White Walkers revealed by Jon, she will understand that attacking King’s Landing now would not result in the quick and largely bloodless surrender and victory of the original plan, but instead in unnecessary slaughter on both sides, not to mention the overwhelming civilian casualties. Dany won’t willingly burn the city from which she intends to rule the Seven Kingdoms. So, with this impasse and the end of the world clock ticking, the only alternative left to Dany will be to negotiate with Cersei, and strong-arm her into not only accepting a truce but also scare her into providing troops against the northern threat. Cersei will be so crazy she will bet against her own self-preservation, but that’s a bet not even Tyrion could predict his sister would make. I believe that’s how Dany’s campaign will go and I think it makes perfect sense.

Honestly, the story beats remain exactly the same as in my original prediction, except D&D know how to handle pacing and I obviously didn’t: Before any filming leaks or anything else, I thought Dany’s siege of the capital would have to wait until episode six, with the first five episodes being occupied by… Not much, to be honest: Mostly taking Volantis and other minor setpieces with little to no dramatic tension (I also didn’t have Dany meeting Jon until the beginning of season eight, which also meant I had absolutely no idea what Jon would do all season.) And only then, in episode six, during the siege of the capital, everything that will happen this season (with time to breath and be properly developed) would be squezed in a single hour: Cersei’s wildfire would take care not only of herself but also of the Dornish and the Tyrells, and Euron would appear by surprise and destroy much of Dany’s fleet, and kill Viserion (according to the leaks, the Night King will do this instead.)

Thankfully, D&D have decided to pace Dany’s campaign in a more satisfying manner. Each of these losses will have its own separate setpiece and thus its own opportunity to impact Dany and other characters. Also, Cersei’s continued involvement in the story is a good hint that the show will thankfully never devolve into a politics-free humans vs monsters fight to save the world. In my original prediction I was struggling to find a human conflict for season eight, something that would ensure the show doesn’t stray away from its focus on characters, moral ambiguity and difficult choices.

OK. You have persuaded me: if it’s a cannon, and nothing can be done about that. But it makes me disgusted nonetheless. No woman deserves to play the Beast in any kind of “romantic” set-up and Brienne definitely deserves better than a man who mocked her appearances for 5 or 6 episodes. But on the other, some women are indeed dumb and have no dignity. So, I don’t care.

Luka Nieto: I don’t know where you got that idea, I’m afraid. As far as I know it was only a theory. A strange one at that. Would they really have a naval battle in episode one, even before Daenerys lands in Dragonstone?

Luka Nieto, Thanks, Luka. About the Theon-Jon reunion filmed in Zumaia a couple of weeks ago, can you confirm if it was directed by Shakman, or was it Mylod? I swear I could see Mark Mylod in some pictures of the reunion scene, but I also know Matt Shakman directed the battlements scene shot later on the same day, so I can’t be completely sure.

Luka Nieto: No, the naval battle definitely doesn’t take place in the premiere, and the Theon fight with his man directed by Podeswa is from the finale, I can confirm that much.

Oooh! interesting! What is the location of the Theon/Ironborn fight? If it’s on Dragonstone, then that location is still a player in the finale. Good to know. Also, if there is no naval battle, or any action by Daenerys’ crew in Episode 1, that episode will primarily be Winterfell politics and KL power consolidation/strategy.

I think you should give the story another chance, because actually Brienne is not “the Beast” here, she is “the Beauty” 🙂

It is even hinted by her nickname, “Brienne the Beauty”. GRRM had said that he changed not only the genders but also “the roles” in the original tale. Brienne is the one who looks like a beast here, and Jaime looks like a beauty; but in the original tale the beast’s soul is also beast-like in the beginning, and Belle is a beauty inside too. But here the roles have been changed too, so Jaime is the Beast inside, although he is pretty…and Brienne is the Beauty inside, although she is freakishly ugly (in the books).

In the tale the Beast saves the Beauty in the forest, and in our story Jaime saved Brienne in Harrenhal. The beast gives a magic mirror and a magic ring to Belle, and here Jaime gave his magic sword to Brienne as a sign of his love. Then Belle leaves the Beast in his castle and goes back to her town in the tale, and in our story Brienne left Jaime in his castle two times…first goodbye in KL, and second goodbye in Riverrun. In the end of the tale Belle sees from the magic mirror that the Beast is about to die and understands that she loves him and goes back to him to save him, which is likely to happen if Brienne goes to south to save Jaime next season. In the tale, it is revealed that the Beast was actually a prince who was turned to a beast by a witch (Cersei), and only the true love of a beautiful woman could break the spell…

As you can see, again, Brienne is actually “Beauty” here. She loves Jaime despite the ugliness in his soul, because she sees beauty in him and saves his soul in the end (turns him into a prince again).

Inga: No woman deserves to play the Beast in any kind of “romantic” set-up and Brienne definitely deserves better than a man who mocked her appearances for 5 or 6 episodes.

Hm, I think you might have missed a beat there. Brienne is the beauty in this analogy, obviously. Jaime is the beast.

I can’t spot Shakman or Mylod in that day’s pictures. Honestly, I think it’s gotta be a Shakman episode, either 4 or 5.

It can’t be episode two, as Jon is not there yet, and I don’t imagine it will happen in the same episode in which Jon arrives to Dragonstone.

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