HBO first debuted their sprawling fantasy drama Game of Thrones in 2011 and the show has since become one of the biggest hits on television, beloved by critics and fans alike and earning the network plenty of awards acclaim. Based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, each Game of Thrones season roughly covered one of the author’s books. However, by the end of Game of Thrones season 5, HBO’s show had caught up with the novels, meaning much of season 6 depicted aspects of the story that Martin had outlined, but haven’t been released in book form yet.
After season 6 concluded last year, it was reported that season 7 would likely be delayed given the weather conditions of the show’s production locations. It was later confirmed Game of Thrones would start production later than usual on its seventh outing, with the season set to debut summer 2017. Now, though summer is still a few month off yet, HBO has revealed the first official teaser image for Game of Thrones season 7.
EW released the teaser poster for Game of Thrones season 7, which reportedly debuted in Austin, Texas as part of the network’s promotional rollout for the series at South by Southwest. The poster is a bit minimal, only featuring a sheet of ice with fire creeping up from the bottom, the network’s logo, and the hashtag #GoTS7 overtop - and there is no premiere date to be found. Take a look:
Although an official premiere date has yet to be revealed beyond “summer 2017,” Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, recently teased season 7 may premiere in July - placing it months later than usual. Previous seasons of Game of Thrones have typically debuted in April, or late March in one case, and concluded in June. Still, without an official date of when Game of Thrones returns, it remains to be seen whether that will, in fact, be July.
As for the poster itself, it’s of course an homage to the title of Martin’s book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which is itself a reference to two of the franchise’s main characters: Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Last we saw of Dany, she had boarded her fleet of ships and was sailing home to Westeros to reclaim the Iron Throne that had been usurped from her father by Robert Baratheon. Jon, meanwhile, was preparing for the coming war against the Night King and his army of White Walkers after reclaiming the North and Winterfell.
Of course, considering both Jon and Dany will be in Westeros in season 7, fans anticipate the two characters will finally meet, but whether it will be as allies or on the battlefield remains to be seen. As Game of Thrones gets closer to its conclusion - season 8 is confirmed to be the last, after all - anticipation and excitement among fans will undoubtedly grow. Although this teaser poster doesn’t offer much, it does indicate HBO is beginning the promotional push for season 7, which indicates more Game of Thrones is on the way soon enough.
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Game of Thrones season 7 airs on HBO sometime this summer.
Source: EW
