‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 8: Everything You Need To Know About The Battle At Winterfell

Every season of HBO’s Game of Thrones contains an ultimate battle. In the final season of the hit epic fantasy series, this battle will unfold at Winterfell.

Already, HBO has been teasing fans with an upcoming battle at Winterfell. This event is expected to occur in Episode 3 of Game of Thrones Season 8, according to Harper’s Bazaar. HBO hasn’t given the official word on exactly when this massive battle will occur. However, there a few indicators that Episode 3 is where it will occur.

According to Inverse, there are rumors circulating that the battle at Winterfell, which is the longest battle sequence ever performed in Game of Thrones, will play out for 90 minutes of the episode. And, considering Episode 3 of Game of Thrones Season 8 is one hour and 22 minutes long, there is a fair chance this could be when the battle occurs.

Already, in the Season 8 premiere episode of Game of Thrones, House Umber was attacked at Last Hearth. So viewers know that the dead are already marching toward Winterfell. In addition, as previously reported by The Inquisitr, those already at Winterfell are gearing toward war as the trailer for Episode 2 announces that the dead will arrive there by the morning. Images for Episode 2 also show Game of Thrones characters appearing to plan for battle as the dead approach.

The Game of Thrones showrunners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming battle at Winterfell and have revealed that it will include a massive cast of major characters. Although, viewers would have already guessed this considering the majority of characters are already at Winterfell as Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) prepare for the attack.

Miguel Sapochnik will be directing the episode containing the battle at Winterfell. Previously, he has delivered regarding the battle at Hardhome, as well as the Emmy nominated “Battle of the Bastards” episode of Game of Thrones. So, it seems unlikely that fans will be disappointed by the action in this epic episode.

It is also billed as the “final” battle between the living and the dead, according to co-executive producer Bryan Cogman.

“This final face-off between the Army of the Dead and the army of the living is completely unprecedented and relentless and a mixture of genres even within the battle. There are sequences built within sequences built within sequences.”

This has led to speculation among fans that the first half of Season 8 of Game of Thrones will deal entirely with the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) and his dead army of White Walkers and wights. This will likely mean that the second half of the final season will then deal with the battle for the iron throne.

To film such a monumental battle scene reportedly took 11 weeks of filming with more than 750 people involved. Iain Glen, who plays Ser Jorah Mormont, described the event as “the most unpleasant experience” he has ever encountered with filming occurring overnight and during 30-degree temperatures.

It will also be the first major battle in which Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) has been involved.

“I skip the battle every year, which is bizarre since Arya’s the one who’s been training the most,” Williams said.

“This is my first taste of it and I’ve been thrown in at the deep end.”

She also described the grueling filming experience.

“Nothing can prepare you for how physically draining it is. It’s night after night, and again and again, and it just doesn’t stop. You can’t get sick, and you have to look out for yourself because there’s so much to do that nobody else can do … there are moments you’re just broken as a human and just want to cry.”

However, fans will likely reap the benefit of the intense filming schedule for the battle at Winterfell since Sapochnik studied the epic battle scene in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to work out when battle fatigue was likely to kick in with the audience.

“It feels like the only way to really approach it properly is take every sequence and ask yourself: ‘Why would I care to keep watching?'” Sapochnik explained.

“One thing I found is the less action — the less fighting — you can have in a sequence, the better.”

Of course, viewers will just have to tune in to Game of Thrones to find out just how epic this battle really is.

Season 2 of Game of Thrones returns to HBO with Episode 2 on Sunday, April 21, at 9 p.m. ET.