Rally the Realm for its best “it’s lit!” jokes with fire emojis for days, because Game of Thrones is going to light a veritable smorgasbord of folks on fire in season 7 of the series. And while that may not seem like news to you—if it’s a day that ends in ‘y,’ chances are Drogon or Cersei are starting some shit—it does make me wonder how the already too-epic series could possibly out-do itself. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner David Benioff and stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam excitedly explained their motivation for upping the fiery ante from last season’s Sept of Baelor soufflé. And we’re almost positive we know at least where it’ll all go down.
First thing’s first—the context clues! According to Irlam, “One sequence has 73 fire burns and that itself is a record. No film or TV show has ever done that in a whole show, let alone in one sequence. We also set 20 people on fire at one time, which is also a record.”
Benioff furthered our interest by adding that, “In one battle scene we set more stuntmen on fire than have ever been simultaneously set on fire.” Adding that, “our stunt coordinator really wanted to get in the Guinness Book of World Records for this.”
All of this, in our minds, connects to one place and one place only: the dragonpit. A long-rumored location for season seven rife with historical significance when it comes to queens ruling Westeros, ahem, Dany and Cersei, a mega-showdown between the two queens is all-but-guaranteed to happen this season. Our money, frankly, is on it happening right at the end: the perfect place to stage a major altercation between the two that ends with the “fire” part of this Song of Ice and Fire tale burning extra bright. One that could, arguably, change how we feel about Dany’s claim (and competency) on the Iron Throne.
Of course, if Game of Thrones was interested in fulfilling our sickest, most devious fantasies, this scene would take place North of the Wall, with Drogon burning a literal fucktown of White Walkers to the ground…only to then be turned into a giant Ice Dragon for the Night King to ride atop and really up the ante for the final season.
But what do you think? Have any other theories? Let us know in the comments below!
Images + GIFs: HBO
Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of Nerdist, creator and co-host of Fangirling, and the resident Game of Thrones expert here. Find her on Twitter (if you’re into that sort of thing)!
