"Game Of Thrones" Season 7 is coming up with a new set of directors to tackle the 2017 episodes. The directors include a returning "Game of Thrones" veteran and a newcomer.
HBO announced the news only three days after the Season 6 finale. The four directors who are assigned to head the fantasy/ drama series include veterans Alan Taylor, Mark Mylod, Jeremy Podeswa and newcomer Matt Shakma.
There are speculations that downsizing the number of directors from five to four indicates that "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 will have shorter episodes. As of this late, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have not commented on the issues if they are really planning to cut down the episodes to seven, according to the initial report of Entertainment Weekly.
Returning director Alan Taylor headed Season 1 episode 9 and 10 where he developed the visual storytelling style of the series. He came back in Season 2 where he directed four episodes. Taylor went out for a little while to render directorial job for "Thor: The Dark World" and "Terminator Genisys."
Another veteran director coming back to "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 is Jeremy Podeswa. The Canadian director was the man behind Season 5 "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken." He also directed the premiere and an episode called "Home."
British director Mark Mylod made his directorial debut in the series with Season 5 episodes "High Sparrow" and "Sons of the Harpy." He directed two more episodes in the "Game of Thrones" Season 6.
Matt Shakman is the only one among the four directors, who is new to the series. His credits include FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and some episodes of AMC's "Mad Men," CBS' "The Good Wife" and FX's "Fargo."
Another behind-the-scene news for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 is the return of costume designer Michele Clapton. He took over the series' costume department for the earlier seasons.
As far as the number of episodes are concerned, the showrunners reportedly revealed that "Game Of Thrones" Season 7 will have a total of 73 hours, The Wall Street Journal reported. This results in an excess of 13 hours that could equate to two separate shortened seasons.
Check out some of the plans for "Game of Thrones" Season 7: