There’s not long to go now until the seventh season of Game of Thrones, due to be broadcast in the early hours of July 17 – and then in an less ungodly evening slot later that day – arrives on our TV screens. Here are seven reasons why we can’t wait.
1. There’s going to be a big battle. With big dragons
Judging by some of the epic scenes in the latest trailer, it looks as if forces belonging to Lena Headey’s Cersei will, at some point in the season, go head to head with Daenerys and her army, with Jaime Lannister (and his white horse) taking an active part in the fiery battle.
If there’s one thing Game of Thrones has done consistently well across its past seasons, it’s these kind of set-piece, action-driven episodes, many of which, such as last season’s Battle of the Bastards, or season two’s Blackwater, have felt like mini-movies in their own right.
With longer episode lengths promised in the forthcoming new series, which will be told across seven instalments rather than the customary 10, we can expect its action, including the battle promised in the trailer, to be more gloriously cinematic than ever.
2. And possibly some intense Lannister brother drama
Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is now firmly allied with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) – and would probably like nothing more than to see his sister Cersei meet a nasty end.
Peter Dinklage in the new Game of Thrones trailer Credit: YouTube/Screengrab
But how does The Imp feel about Jaime, with whom he has always had a much closer relationship? And what about Bronn, Tyrion’s old sellsword pal, who in the show has now formed something of a double act with Jaime? Will Tyrion be entirely comfortable seeing the pair face off against the deadly dragons?