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Why the Game of Thrones cast have more screen time in season 7 even though there are fewer episodes

It's linked to the bloodbath that was season 6

Christopher Hooton
Tuesday 30 May 2017 12:10 BST
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(HBO)

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Much has been made of Game of Thrones' drop from 10 to seven episodes with season 7, and whether it means there will be more money to spend on battle sequences.

But while the trailer confirms we'll definitely see some scenes of war, it sounds like the season will also be quite dialogue heavy (which is probably a good thing, I miss the political scenes of the earlier seasons).

“When I first read this season I thought: ‘Damn, I gotta learn some lines!’” Emilia Clarke told EW. “We’re actually filming longer now. I don’t know how that’s happening."

Peter Dinklage also noticed the bump in shooting days, adding: “I’ve worked more days this season than I have in quite some time.”

So why are they key cast members filming more than ever when there are fewer episodes?

It's really quite simple, as co-showrunner D.B. Weiss explained:

“You kill a couple dozen characters, the people who are left by default need to carry more dramatic weight.

Trailer: Game of Thrones Season 7

"The all-around bloodbath of season six freed up screen time to spread around to other main characters.

“As the worlds start to converge the characters who haven’t met each other before start to meet each other and there are more main characters together in each other’s storylines than ever before.”

Game of Thrones season 7 arrives 16 July on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

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