Filming is officially underway for Game of Thrones season 8, and one set in particular is getting a major upgrade. As previously reported, the Winterfell set at Moneyglass has been a beehive of activity lately. And now, thanks to intrepid fan Roy Dowie, we have an even better look at the ancestral home of House Stark.
@paulorossradio being a Got fan have u seen this in Moneyglass pic.twitter.com/tOySPkiDGN
— Roy Dowie (@spud1818) October 17, 2017
That might not look that different from what we have seen on screen, but as fan site Watchers on the Wall notes, there are several improvements to the practical set. Much of Winterfell has previously been created via CGI.
For starters, the walls now include uniform crenelations (battlements). Those were previously only seen in close up shots, such as this one with Arya and Sansa, not encompassing the whole castle.
Additionally, the towers in the shot are new as well. Of course, we always saw them on screen, but again they were created by CGI. Adding them to the practical set along with the crenelations, points to a potential spoiler for season 8, so tread lightly.
Crap! Spoilers!
Building practical sets after seven seasons of using CGI to create Winterfell can mean only one thing: actors will be interacting with the Winterfell walls. Rest assured, HBO is not spending money on practical sets to show guards walking back and forth. The need for practical walls and towers means we will be seeing some sort of battle scene on those walls.
Might we be seeing the Night King and his army of the dead storming the walls of Winterfell in season 8? Time will tell, but the practical sets seem to point in that direction.
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