HBO preps Winterfell set at Moneyglass for filming

Earlier this week, the Game of Thrones cast members read through season 8. This week, they’re rehearsing it. Next week, filming will begin. And the crew is getting ready.

Watchers on the Wall has a report of increased activity happening around the Winterfell set at Moneyglass, Northern Ireland, which has undergone some heavy renovations this year. According to Twitter’s @Cathair96, there’s a blanket of snow on the ground near the set, which you can see in the middle of the photo below:

To keep fans from getting a peek at filming, the production has apparently erected “massive metal walls” around the area. That tracks with other reports that there are “screens” in place. HBO is going all out to avoid leaks this time.

But the cast and crew members still have to get to work each day. @Cathair96 recorded a video while driving past the area — you can see inside the parking lot around 0:25, where there are gathered vans and trucks and such.

Will HBO’s security measures pay off? Will this finally be the year they keep enterprising fans from snapping pictures of the sets? Knowing how boundlessly resourceful those fans tend to be, probably not, but we’ll have to wait for filming to start up to know for sure.

Next: What did people think of Game of Thrones season 7? Check the out the results of this extensive survey

To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channel