When a TV show becomes as widely and intensely beloved as Game of Thrones is, things can let a little tricky for the showrunners; it's hard to keep plotlines under wraps with photographers staking out the set 24/7. It takes literally thousands of people to run a production of that scale, and every single person is a potential set leak. ("Hi honey, how was work?"— "You're not going to believe this twist, babe.") Now, as Game of Thrones films season 7, the smash hit's high-profile and rabid superfan-base have hit peak nuttiness: HBO may well be filming decoy scenes for the express purpose of throwing off the spoiler-hunters.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Entertainment Weekly points out the massive number of photos, videos, plot details, and anonymous sources leaking info from the set since filming kicked off in September. And apparently, we all go wild with speculation and spoiler-circulating every time a new tidbit emerges, (We have literally no idea what they're talking about.) But what if some of these rumors are a ruse?
If that sounds far-fetched, it's not. Last year, actress Sibel Kekilli, who played Tyrion's late love Shae, visited the set. As EW reports, the showrunners took advantage of her visit by putting her in costume on the set — knowing that photogs would be snapping away. And thus, the season six "spoiler" that Shae was returning sprung a life of its own. So, keep in mind that any one of the set spoilers you've read could be a red herring.
We get the idea, we do. It's actually quite clever. But I'm just going to say: If these fake-spoiler shenanigans add a single day to the production schedule of season 7 — consequently delaying the already-delayed premiere of this season in any way — I'll be pissed as hell. That being said, this revelation is going to impart a hefty sense of skepticism when it comes to any Game of Thrones "news" in the months to come.