Dan Weiss: We cant tell you.
We have three teams of comedy writers working on that joke.
Okay if not that, then what strikes you most about season 7?
Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO
You want to give them as much as you’re free to.
Benioff: Everyone steps up their game every season.
I know you probably get sick of hearing us say that.
We say it every year.
But its kind of astounding to us.
But every department constantly improves, from the effects to the acting.
Now were coming into the final season and its very gratifying.
Weve managed to keep everybody on the same path moving the same direction for so long.
The pace is faster this year, the actors are saying.
Benioff: For a long time weve been talking about the wars to come.
That war is pretty much here.
So its really trying to find a way to make the storytelling work without feeling like were rushing it.
Weiss: The scope of the story naturally has increased season to season.
Its this urgency from within the story that drives the pace rather than any external decision.
Its incredibly hard to top those two.
Miguel did such a fantastic job, all the departments and actors everybody topped themselves in those episodes.
So trying to live up to that standard is certainly added pressure.
The human collisions are every bit as powerful in a different way as horses running into each other.
Its characters running into each other that youve known for so long.
I hope people are as excited for that as we are.
Weiss: So we handed Bernie the schedule she was like, What the f!?
This isnt going to be relaxing!
This is going to kill [the crew] just like last year did.
Ever since Tyrion crossed the Narrow Sea and met Dany its been the shows general direction.
You pair several characters together this season.
Weiss: It would be fun to write a Tyrion/Drogo scene.
Benioff: Yeah, Drogo and Tyrion would be entertaining.
I feel like they would eventually get to like each other.
If you could build an entire episode following just one character like HBOsThe Leftoversdoes which would it be?
We just cant because were pushing toward the end.
But all the central characters you could build an hour around and have plenty for them to do.
Once or twice weve come close with Jon Snow in stories set almost entirely up North.
Maybe that can be one of the 20 spinoffs.
Dan, do you want to annoy some actors by answering that question?
Weiss: Nah, I gotta work with these people.
There are almost none of the principals that I wouldnt love to write a bottle episode for.
In hindsight, it could have been possible in some of the earlier seasons.
The dragons look amazing this year.
Just how big and powerful are they?
It was pretty incredible because they grow to an extraordinary extent.
I remember thinking, God thats going to be complicated as hell to shoot when we finally get there.
Finally this year theyre no longer babies and it makes every scene with them more complicated to shoot.
Im excited for people to watch it.
What were some of the biggest challenges during production?
It was really hard in terms of a strain on resources and manpower.
That was a difficult month but we managed to get through it.
Weiss: The amount of dragon work and the nature of the dragon work was exponentially increased this year.
We usually have one green cell.
This time we had up to four green VFX stages working simultaneously.
One of them was just [Emilia Clarke] on that dragon rig.
It was a lot of time spent doing those shots.
Ed Sheeran makes an appearance this season.
‘Outlets reported that like it was true.
I thought he might be messing with them, making that part up.
Benioff: Thats clever James.
I like the mystery of it.
Is Ed an honest man or not?
Weiss: The scene will really be a referendum on the character of Ed Sheeran.
What kind of a person is Ed Sheeran, really?
Heseemslike such a nice guy…
Benioff: Well all find out soon enough.
Has fandom fascination in Tormunds attraction taken you by surprise?
And has that inspired you to play with that a bit more this year?
Usually, when we really love something there are a few other people who like it as well.
And then we let the actors do what they do.
Its not something you could ever write.
I saw it 150 times and every time it made me laugh; its purely the two of them.
But were not going to tell you which one.
… at least, I assume youre kidding.
Any super-sized episodes this season?
Weiss: There is definitely one that is considerably over 60.
We have two episodes over 60 minutes this year.
Benioff: One will be our longest episode ever.
One of the things were lucky about is we dont have the same pressure.
Those episodes are better at those lengths but Im glad we didnt have the additional pressure Vince had.
Can you imagine having to write five commercial act breaks into each hour ofGame of Thrones?
Its not the broadcasters fault, theres just no natural place to put the ads.
So its always disorientating when I watch it over there.
Youre currently writing the shows final season.
Benioff: Its nearly completed.
Well, I shouldnt say nearly.
Weiss: I wouldnt gothatfar.
Its exciting but theres always pressure.
You dont ever want to drop the ball.
And the odds of it airing in 2019 instead of 2018?
Benioff: We honestly dont know yet.
Theres been a lot of back and forth about air dates.
Thats a long way off from being settled.
Theres been so much speculation about how this story will end.
It becomes harder every year as the show and the viewership expands.
I dont get it.
Game of Thronesis back on July 16.
