Interestingly enough, season 8 was actually supposed to have a huge Direwolves vs undead dragon fight sequence. In a recent interview with IndieWire, director Miguel Sapochinik, (Battle of the Bastards, Winds of Winter, The Long Night and The Bells) revealed that the scope of Season 8 during the planning stages was initially much, much bigger and even included a fight scene between 50 Direwolves and the undead dragon Viserion. I’m not sure if Sapochinik literally means 50 Direwolves or just 50 wolves. I believe it’s probably the later. In the books, Arya’s Direwolf Nymeria has been seen roaming the jungles gathering a large pack of wolves. Perhaps that idea was written in the cliff notes given by George R.R. Martin to Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, but budgeting constraints prevented it from coming to fruition.
Miguel Saphochinik also commented on another season 8 criticism which is that, the final season sacrificed substance for style and epicness. Whether you love the eighth season of Game of Thrones or was let down by it, one thing we cannot deny is Benioff and Weiss’ passion for the project. According to Miguel Saphochinik, the showrunners were gung-ho and were willing to put everything on the line to make the final season excellent. Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Go and Astro Go.
