Game of Thrones death toll reaches 150,966

Game of Thrones season 7: New photos hint at potential plotlines

23 May

A series of new photos from Game of Thrones has prompted speculation about possible storylines, while actor Iain Glen has also offered some hints about what could happen in season 7.

The images, shared by Entertainment Weekly, include behind-the-scenes photos as well as stills from the production and although they don't give much away, a few shots have prompted speculation about major plot points.

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Katharine Trendacosta on Io9 says the key photo is one of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) apparently heading into battle on her dragon.

Although the critic admits that "with everything obscured by smoke and fire", it’s actually "very hard to determine where this is taking place", she argues the scene must appear early in the season or HBO would not have released it.

Eliana Dockterman in Time agrees that "one of the most intriguing pictures shows the Mother of Dragons riding one of her 'children'."

The dragon "appears to have done some heavy damage to the burning ruins behind him", she adds.

Pointing to HBO's recent trailer for the series, which shows Daenerys, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Cersei (Lena Headey) all walking to their respective thrones, Dockterman suggests the image suggests Game of Thrones "may finally getting closer to showing ice and fire actually clash".

Meanwhile, Jack O'Keefe on Bustle discusses an image of Arya on horseback, saying she is "saddling up to go traveling, but where?".

"The background of her image looks suspiciously like Winterfell," he adds, so perhaps "a Stark family reunion" awaits fans. O'Keefe also highlights a separate image that seems to show Jon Snow "arriving or leaving Winterfell".

Meanwhile, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Glen has hinted at where his character Ser Jorah Mormont might be headed.

The scripts for series seven were "the best yet", he said, with parallel "storylines colliding" for "the beginning of the endgame".

As for Jorah's fate, it was “all about whether he will survive this horrendous sickness he’s contracted”, continued Glen, saying his character "would die a happy man if he could get forgiveness from Daenerys.

"Loss of life is not as big for him as seeking her redemption," he added.

Game of Thrones returns to Sky Atlantic on 17 July.

Game of Thrones: After season 7, what will the new spin-off series be about?

8 May

Game of Thrones' seventh and eighth seasons might mark the end of the monumentally successful television epic, but HBO is planning several follow-up series based in the same fictional world.

According to Deadline Hollywood, the cable network has announced it is commissioning four writers - Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class), Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential) and Carly Wray (Mad Men) - to develop separate projects based on the hit fantasy franchise.

HBO did not specify whether the shows would be prequels, sequels, parallel or companion narratives to GoT, but said each story would "explore different time periods of George RR Martin's vast and rich universe".

Christopher Hooton in The Independent says Martin is apparently on board with the idea and "personally involved" with the projects of Goldman and Wray - "so good luck getting any more books out of him".

However, he notes that while HBO may develop all four ideas, it would "ultimately pick one or maybe two shows to green light".

Graeme Virtue in The Guardian has a few suggestions for potential spin-offs.

A series focusing on the Lannisters would be "juicy", he writes. "Who wouldn't want to watch the formative years of suspiciously close twins Cersei and Jaime" as their "tetchy" father Tywin struggles with being a single dad. "Imagine the OC with added OMG."

Virtue also suggests spin-offs exploring the backstories of icy villain the Night King, another on the Dothraki and one on "everyone's favourite sellsword" Bronn.

But Melanie McFarland on Salon asks if most spin-offs aren't doomed to fail.

While the likes of Better Call Saul may possibly rival their predecessors, "there is a real possibility that the Game of Thrones spin off could poop the bed", she writes. Game of Thrones producers DB Weiss and David Benioff are involved in the spin-offs' development, but won't be writing for any of them, she adds.

However, audiences are very patient with HBO's programmes, adds the critic, so "whatever storyline [it] selects will get respectable tuning in regardless of its execution".

Season seven of Game of Thrones gets its premiere on 16 July.