In just two short months, Game of Thrones returns to our screens.

The hype train has now officially left the station, and as we all gear up for a return to the bloody land of Westeros, the noise surrounding Game of Thrones news and updates has been louder than Shireen’s screams… too soon?

So much news has broken that it can be hard to keep track of all the latest bits of info.

To help you stay up-to-date with all the latest Thrones news, here are the biggest announcements to break over the past few days.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Trailer Released

I mean, it was pretty hard to miss this news to be fair, but why not watch it again? If not to just enjoy that spine tingling excitement.

HBO finally released the season 7 trailer for Game of Thrones, showcasing a vicious new Cersei, Dany taking her first steps on Westeros for some time and a bloody cold looking winter.

We’ve been thinking about what will happen in Game of Thrones season 7 for quite some time now, and while this confirms almost nothing, it has got us very excited for what comes next.

House Stark is Reunited

In a touching photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly, the surviving Stark family members got together for a bit of a chinwag and a cuddle.

It’s great to see the team back together, but fans shouldn’t be getting too excited about seeing this lot unite just yet. With the family still spread out far across Westeros, it is unlikely we’ll see this heart-warming meeting happen in season 7 of Game of Thrones.

Although you never know.

Hopefully, the wheels will be put in motion to have the whole Stark gang unite before the show comes to a close — whichever ones are left alive, that is.

First Look at the Season 7 Dragons

Some exclusive new photos of the fabled Game of Thrones dragons surfaced this week, courtesy of those cheeky guys over at Entertainment Weekly once again. Me thinks they might be lining the pockets of the Iron Bank to get these juicy pics..

As you can see, the Dragons have grown considerably since we last saw them. I guess they ate a lot of fish, and perhaps a whale or two, on the flight over?

Now the size of your typical Boeing 747, these monsters of carnage, these embodiments of death, are more than just a threat to Westeros, they are the promise of annihilation.

G.R.R Martin Confirms Spin-Offs Will Be Prequels

In one of our previous news updates, we mentioned how HBO have confirmed they are working on concepts for four Game of Thrones spin-offs.

Now G.R.R Martin, working as a writer for these new shows, has spoken about a few vague details — and confirmed a fifth idea is in the works.

All the spin-off projects in development are to be prequels, he has confirmed. This has got the rumour mills turning like nobody’s business, speculating everything from the legend of Azor Ahai to the destruction of Valeria.

One story we know that won’t be though, is Robert’s Rebellion. G.R.R Martin has confirmed that this will not be the subject of any of the spin-off Game of Thrones shows.

Good, quite frankly. We know, more or less, how that all played out. We want something new — or old, since you know, they are prequels.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode Numbers Confirmed

It has long been thought that the final season of Game of Thrones will be shorter than normal. Given that season 7 is only 7 episodes long, speculation was rife that season 8 would see the same treatment.

But as fate would have it, this isn’t the case. Game of Thrones season 8 has now been confirmed to be even shorter than season 7, at a meagre 6 episodes long.

This may come as a shock to some, we’ve only just overtaken the Fire and Ice novels in the show, and with two whole books to cover, where has all this extra content gone?

The first thing to be aware of is that because the books have not been written, there is no writing to flesh out in the show, which means the creators of the series are limited in their references points. The other point to take home is that the show misses a lot of storylines that the books must now tie together.

Cutting the episodes down probably is the right decision. Game of Thrones is a show of high quality. Watering it down by throwing in filler just to reach an episode cap surely isn’t a good idea.

Season 7 Opener Length Revealed

It’s a small bit of news, but that hasn’t stopped it circulating the internet like wildlife — such is the Game of Thrones phenomenon.

Anyway, episode 1 of Game of Thrones season 7 has been confirmed to be 58 minutes long.

This measures up slightly longer than most of the other premieres, and nearly 10 minutes longer than season 6’s. It doesn’t mean a lot, other than we’ve got a bit of extra action to look forward to when the show premieres on July 16th.

Want more of the latest TV news of 2017? Check out some of our other, impeccable content.

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