Entertainment

Liam Cunningham: New Game Of Thrones episodes will be ‘more cinematic’ than previous series

The penultimate series is made up of seven episodes rather than 10.
The penultimate series is made up of seven episodes rather than 10. The penultimate series is made up of seven episodes rather than 10.

The penultimate series of Game Of Thrones will be “more cinematic” than its predecessors, actor Liam Cunningham has revealed.

The award-winning HBO show, adapted from George RR Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire novels, returns on Monday with the first of seven new episodes ahead of next year’s final season.

Cunningham portrays Davos Seaworth in the epic-fantasy show and said the decision to shorten series seven from 10 episodes to seven meant there was more money available for each offering.

He said: “It definitely has a different feel about it this season, obviously because we’ve got seven episodes instead of 10 and also because the seven episodes took more or less the same time as 10.

“So it’s going to have a different look in the sense that I think it’s going to be much more cinematic.

“They’ve had a little more money for each episode so I think the scope is wider and some of the locations and sets that I’ve seen are f****** stunning.

“Really, really gorgeous stuff,” he added.

As the show nears its end, Cunningham reflected on the journey the cast have experienced as their popularity soared.

Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark and Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark and Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed (HELEN SLOAN / HBO)
Bran Stark in Game Of Thrones series seven (Helen Sloan/HBO)

He said: “For all of us, our stock has gone up. There’s no movie stars in our show, it was all actors who started with this.

“So you could suspend your disbelief because half of us you guys had never seen before, or seen us briefly over the years.

“To watch this team come up and have these beautiful words to say and beautiful costumes and fantastic sets and extraordinary story it doesn’t feel individual, I feel like part of a club.”

Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane also known as The Hound
Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane also known as The Hound (HELEN SLOAN / HBO)
Rory McCann as the Hound in GoT series seven (Helen Sloan/HBO)

Asked if he expected to be involved with anything as popular again, he said: “This is unrepeatable. It’s absolutely unique and it’s one of the reasons people love it.

“Something like this hasn’t come before and it ain’t going to come again.

“There’s probably going to be something as good and as enjoyable or as beautiful to look at and wonderful to listen to but it’s not going to be repeated.”

:: Game Of Thrones Season 7 premieres on July 17 on Sky Atlantic and Now TV at 2am, repeated at 9pm the same day.