This is massive.
At the present moment, the five highest rated episodes of Game of Thrones on IMDB are as follows;
1) Battle of the Bastards – That epic episode when Jon Snow gave Ramsay Bolton his comeuppance and reclaimed Winterfell.
2) The Winds of Winter – The finale of Season 6 which saw Dany cross the Narrow Sea and the audience finally discover that R+L = J
3) The Rains of Castamere – The Red Wedding and the single most shocking scene in the history of Game of Thrones.
4) Hardhome – Jon Snow meets the Night King and we finally see the terrifying power that the leader of the dead possesses.
5) The Spoils of War – Dany exacts a fiery revenge on the Lannister forces as she strikes back following the losses of Highgarden and Dorne.
Aside from the majority of the same characters reappearing in all of these episodes, three of them all share one similarity, they were all directed by Miguel Sapochnik, the most talented battle director in the show’s history.
Well, it appears that the man responsible for creating the battle of the bastards and the massacre at Hardhome is back for Season 8.
Fabian Wagner, director of photography on Game of Thrones, shared this picture on his Instagram account with the following caption “Back on Game of Thrones for prep of the final season and the team is back together. Good times even though winter is already here #gameofthrones#miguelsapochnik #carolinevalderson#joebauer #stevekullback #vfx #dop#setlife #battleofthebastards”
As many of you will know, Sapochnik didn’t work on Season 7 of the world’s most beloved show but given the fact that the Great War is finally here, we can’t think of any other director that’s better suited for what’s in store.
Wagner has worked as Sapochnik’s cinematographer for all his four Game of Thrones episodes, as well as those of Alik Sakharov.
This being said, newcomer Matt Shakman did an extraordinary job with the ‘Drogon vs Lannister army’ sequences that took place in the finale of The Spoils of War. Elsewhere, Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor delivered a superb spectacle when he directed Beyond the Wall.
It’s worth noting that HBO haven’t officially confirmed the directors that will be working on Season 8 of Game of Thrones just yet, but this feels like a very solid confirmation of Sapochnik’s much-hoped-for return.
Also, when Sapochnik previously worked on Game of Thrones, he has always done two episodes per season (The Gift and Hardhome in Season 5, BOTF and TWOW in Season 6).
Will he be getting to direct the final two episodes in Game of Thrones?
We can’t think of anyone that’s more capable of filming the final battle between the Night King’s army and the realms of men.
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