By Alex Edwards
Stop whatever you’ve been watching right now. Game of Thrones is back.
One of the world’s most-talked about shows will premiere its seventh season on the 16th July before sadly concluding with its final season in 2018. The cast and crew celebrated the award-winning fantasy series with a premiere that took winter to downtown L.A. The event featured a massive statue of the Night King and a frosty blue carpet with interviews that hinted at what the new season has in store.
In the newest series the prophecy that “Winter is coming” is actually fulfilled, which will ultimately lead to an all-out war in Westeros. HBO has hinted at other plot twists in the storyline, including Meera Reed and the Night’s Watch meeting up and the return of Daenerys to Dragonstone. Production was delayed for this season because more scenes needed to be filmed in snow.
At the premiere, the cast said they were ’emotional’ at the looming ending of the show. “It feels like a death in the family [but] it’s also exciting, and liberating,” Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, said. Emilia Clarke, who stars as Khaleesi, also got candid about it during an interview for her new cover for ELLE US. She said, “Oh God, I get sleepless nights over it. ‘Oh, you’re gonna mess it up. It’s the last season, and it’s going to go wrong.’ My mates are like, ‘It’s you—you [and Daenerys] are one and the same now. You need to trust your instincts!’ And I’m like, ‘ No, I’ve got to do more research!’ The higher everyone places the mantle, the bigger the fall. That sounds really awful, but it’s true! I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
For the cover, Emilia stunned in a black silk Dolce & Gabbana dress. As the August 2017 cover girl, she discussed how she evolved her role as Khaleesi into one of the strongest female characters of all time. The magazine is out on 18th July, but you can get a sneak peek of the story here.
Game of Thrones premieres in the UK at 9pm on 16 July on Sky Atlantic. For now, you can watch the official trailer below.