Game of Thrones Season 7 reportedly filming in Iceland in January

We still don’t know much about Game of Thrones Season 7, but we do know that it will film later in the year than usual, and therefore air later than usual. Why? It’s the weather. As Sansa informed Jon in the Season 6 finale, winter has finally, finally come to the Seven Kingdoms, and that means that things are gonna get snowy and cold. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss plan to wait for the weather to turn before hopping back in the saddle and filming more episodes.

When exactly will they start? That’s a harder question to answer, but Icelandic news site Vísir.is is reporting that HBO employees met with a local film production company in preparation for filming scenes in January of 2017.

The report is uncorroborated, but it would make sense: the show has filmed in Iceland before, particularly for Season 2 and 3, when Jon was traveling beyond the Wall. And if the producers want cold weather, Iceland should do the trick. As Iceland Magazine points out, “snow and ice will feature heavily in Season 7. And that is something we have in abundance in Iceland during January!”

In January of 2015, the average temperature in the capital city of Reykjavík was -0.3°C (31.5°F), below freezing. That could make for an uncomfortable shoot, but it’ll make for a more immersive experience, then godspeed to the Game of Thrones cast and crew members.

Just looking at that photo makes me feel cold. Vísir.is also reports that the scenes shot in Iceland will involve six major characters, although it doesn’t know which ones. Winter could spread to every corner of Westeros soon, but the characters in most immediate danger are the ones in the North or beyond the Wall, characters like Jon, Sansa, Littlefinger, Davos, Tormund, Bran, and Meera. Plus, we can assume that Brienne and Podrick are on their way back north, and recall that Beric Dondarrion, who’s now traveling with the Hound, mentioned that “cold winds” were rising in the North, so they’re probably heading up there, too. Melisandre, could be hanging around as well, and this doesn’t account for smaller characters like Lyanna Mormont, Bronze Yohn Royce, or Benjen Stark.

We’ll report more news as it comes in.

h/t Iceland Review