Game of Thrones season 8 has already been shooting for longer than any season before it, and it’s still going

Game of Thrones fans face a bit of a contradiction as they look forward to the final episodes of their favorite show. While the first six seasons of Thrones had 10 episodes apiece, season 7 had only seven, and season 8 will feature just six. And yet, even though the number of episodes has been going down, the amount of time HBO has spent filming them has gone up. As we near the end of the shoot on season 8, we thought we’d put this into context.

Filming on season 6, a season that featured SFX-heavy sequences like the Battle of the Bastards and the destruction of the Sept of Baelor, began in late July of 2015 and concluded in mid-December of that same year, for a run of about five months. Season 7 upped the ante. It started filming at the tail end of August 2016 and wrapped up in late February of 2017, for a run of about six months.

And season 8? Shooting on season 8 began in October of last year, and we know it’s going to keep going at least through “the end of June.” So already, the run on this season is coming up on seven months, and by the time the shoot ends it may be closer to eight.

In other words, HBO is taking its sweet time with the final season of Game of Thrones, as well it might, given the expectations to end the series on a high note. With any luck, the final six episodes will be supersized, but even if they’re not, you can rest assured that the cast and crew are working harder and longer on this season than any before.

As for what the cast and crew will film in the coming month, it seems likely that the enormous King’s Landing in Belfast set will see yet more action.

Over the past week, we’ve been paying close attention to Seville, where a large number of Game of Thrones cast members have been gathering near the Dragonpit set in nearby Italica. According to local sources, many of those actors have now left, suggesting that filming in the area may have wrapped a touch early. Still, before they went, they made sure to greet their public. For instance, here’s Kit Harington sampling fan artwork of himself as Jon Snow and Maisie Williams as Arya:

“I’ll give this to Maisie.” Aw. Anyway, it seems like we’re entering the final days of Game of Thrones shooting…ever. Let’s hope they’re memorable.

Next: The production design on Game of Thrones season 8 will “eclipse” all that’s come before

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h/t Reddit