The premiere of the eighth and concluding season of HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones in New York City on Wednesday was a fittingly star-studded farewell.
The red carpet was graced by major actors from the show, including Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).
The concluding season, which will be premiered on April 14 (April 15 India time on Star World and Hotstar), will see the fan favourites go head-to-head for the Iron Throne one last time, while also waging war with the White Walkers and the ice dragon Viserion. A replica of the Iron Throne at the entrance of Radio City Music Hall was served as a reminder of what is to come in the much-awaited series finale.
Tonight, it’s all #ForTheThrone.
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) April 3, 2019
Follow along for more coverage from the World Premiere of the Final Season. #GoTPremiereNYC pic.twitter.com/uEf6lMgDCA
Also in attendance were the actors who play deceased characters on the show, including Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo), Pedro Pascal (The Red Viper) and Sean Bean (Eddard Stark).
Joe Jonas posed with Jack Gleeson and his his fiancee, Sophie Turner. Jack Gleeson played Joffrey Baratheon, who was briefly married to Turner’s Sansa in the show, before his death by poisoning. “I thought this dude was dead,” Jonas tweeted.
WTF I thought this dude was dead... #KingJoffrey pic.twitter.com/f83DioX42E
— J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) April 4, 2019
Among the highlights were the striking portraits of the major cast members. Clarke, Harington, his wife Rose Leslie (who played Ygritte in the show), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Dinklage were some of stars who were snapped at the venue.
The Mother of Dragons. #GameofThrones #GoTPremiereNYC pic.twitter.com/z6tooVyfxR
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) April 4, 2019
this was way more adorable than it should of been, why do I all of sudden love the Lannister men #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/K0uM2xPnaG
— 𝐉. | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 (@livelovebread) April 4, 2019
The event was also marked by a few unlikely reunions. An impressed fan posted a version of the 10-year challenge for Harington, Turner and Williams.
Can we all just appreciate this glo up #HouseStark #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/bIUlixH0mo
— 🖤 (@Gotsayin) April 4, 2019
Another fan rooted for a potential new friendship in the show.
Daenerys, Missandei and Sansa hanging out together 😂❤ what we deserve #GameOfThrones #GoTPremiereNYC pic.twitter.com/EVNAFoeGd3
— ℝίτα 💫 (@JonxDanyy) April 4, 2019
The cast and crew could barely contain their excitement at the premiere. “Every single character is coming to a point in their journey where it is make or break,” Clarke said with a nervous laugh in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “This is bonkers. I feel great, and weird, and strange,” the actress added to the publication.
Emilia Clarke says it's "make or break" for Daenerys on #GameOfThrones.
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 3, 2019
Read @roundhoward's predictions for the Mother of Dragons: https://t.co/RtfTj4cS0h pic.twitter.com/uWsjmVeNgp
Williams, who plays one of the Starks, stuck up for her television sibling: “Sansa is the most incredible character. The world would be a better place with Sansa Stark on the Iron Throne.”
Stark loyalty runs deep: Maisie Williams says Sansa should be on the Iron Throne https://t.co/pwhX7AmHzw #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/eeoly9glp9
— Variety (@Variety) April 4, 2019
The premiere was also attended by the show’s executive producer and author George RR Martin. The series, which has been created by David Benioff and DB Weiss and is based on Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, has overtaken the fictional universe of the books. The writer is in the process of completing the sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter. The novel has been in the making for eight years.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Martin told Entertainment Weekly in an interview. “And almost all of it has been great. Obviously, I wished I finished these books sooner so the show hadn’t gotten ahead of me. I never anticipated that.”
When you casually run into George RR Martin at the throne. #GoT pic.twitter.com/CwGoWxkky4
— Lucy Cohen Blatter (@LucyCBlatter) April 3, 2019
While the no-spoiler rule was in play at the event, Entertainment Weekly journalist Jibberd assured that the final season was “deeply satisfying.”
Just watched @GameOfThrones season 8 premiere: Fantastic. So many reunions. Some epic sequences. Not just table setting for the rest of season. Major Stuff happens in deeply satisfying ways. More thoughts in next podcast. pic.twitter.com/XK5frMt9Hy
— James Hibberd (@JamesHibberd) April 4, 2019
Buttons handed out as we leave Radio City. Fun way to say “no spoilers, dammit.” All I will say is — damn. Also, more humor than I expected. #GOT pic.twitter.com/x64aeQwQGj
— Cynthia Littleton (@Variety_Cynthia) April 4, 2019
Also read:
Reading list: 25 articles to keep you occupied until the final season of ‘Game of Thrones’ lands
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A video goes behind the ‘more than 10,000 visual effects shots’ in Game of Thrones’
‘Game of Thrones’ final season will have the ‘longest consecutive battle sequence’, says ‘EW’ report
Jon Snow actor Kit Harington on the GoT season finale: ‘Everyone was broken at the end’