'Game of Thrones' Season 8 News, Air Date: Kristofer Hivju Spotted in Belfast With Other Cast Members; Scripts Tightly Guarded

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, October 12, 2017

"Game of Thrones" fans can now rest assured knowing that they will see more of Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) in the final season.

Some of the remaining cast members of the show have been spotted around Belfast in Northern Ireland, where "Game of Thrones" usually films the show. And while the actors were not permitted to take selfies with fans, there are still some pictures that showed up online.

The photos reveal that most of the main actors are back for the first read-through of season 8. Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont), John Bradley West (Samwell Tarly), Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm), and Ben Crompton (Eddison Tollett) have all been sighted. There is even a photo of someone who looks to be Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy).

However, fans will be happy to know that Hivju has also been spotted in Belfast. His character was last seen running from Viserion and a collapsing wall in the season 7 finale. Fans became worried about Tormund's fate after seeing him flee with Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer), but it certainly seems like he made it out alive. Of course, his survival has not been officially confirmed, so fans will have to wait and see, especially since Dormer has not yet been seen in Belfast.

Filming is scheduled to begin mid-October after rehearsals. HBO is also reportedly taking extreme measures to make sure that scripts do not get leaked this time around. According to Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, all six scripts are ready, but they cannot be brought home.

"I got six of [the scripts], I've got them all. But I can't open them because of all the security, and I can't walk it out," Cunningham told IGN.

It seems that the network is doing everything it can to make sure there will be no spoilers leaked. HBO programming president Casey Bloys even mentioned that they were filming multiple endings to throw people off the scent, a move that Coster-Waldau previously criticized and denied.

"Game of Thrones" season 8 does not have a premiere date yet.