George Lucas Visited ‘Game of Thrones’ Final Season Set

For all of the efforts HBO put in place to make sure production on the upcoming eighth and final season of Game of Thrones remained shrouded in ultra-secrecy to avoid spoiler leaks, there were some visitors that were very welcome on the show’s ultra-secretive set in Belfast. One visitor in particular was lucky enough to make the cut? None other than Star Wars creator George Lucas.

According to Entertainment Weekly, various actors from Game of Thrones spoke of Lucas’ visit, an event that took place mere months before Disney announced that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss had signed on to write and produce a possible new Star Wars trilogy. The reveal of Lucas’ visit came during a set visit last spring and definitely left an impact on actor Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth).

“It’s funny because George came here and talked to the boys, and the one thing the Star Wars franchise has been missing lately is decent storytelling,” Cunningham said. “There’s a lot of brilliant stuff in Star Wars, it’s an epic franchise, but occasionally, story-wise, it’s left a little to be desired. Dan and David are brilliant at surprises and can transfer the demographic from this show to that [franchise]. They’re incredible at adapting a world and making it their own and they could add a layer of complexity to it. I’d love it if they gave me some words to say, though I’d probably just be in a helmet.”

Of course, Benioff and Weiss opted to neither confirm nor comment on Lucas’ visit to the Game of Thrones set, in keeping with the tight secrecy around all things Season 8 for Game of Thrones. However, as we get closer and closer to the show’s April 14th return, we are starting to get little hints about what may be in store. Footage revealed on HBO on Sunday night revealed Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) sharing a scene with Arya Stark (Maisie Richardson), with the pair outside in the snow, Jon in the foreground with Arya behind him.

That shared scene is significant as it will mark the first time that the two characters have shared a scene since the first season of Game of Thrones and is likely to be a powerful moment for fans. Jon and Arya were close growing up at Winterfell. With Jon believed to be Ned Stark’s bastard and therefore never accepted by Ned’s wife, Catelyn. and Arya having a rebellious personality, pair were more like their father, thus sharing a close bond. Before both Arya and Jon left Winterfell, Jon even gave Arya a parting gift — a thin sword that Arya named Needle that would end up being a significant element of her own journey to becoming a trained assassin.

With everything that has happened to Jon and Arya both since those days, it will be interesting to see how the pair react to one another when reunited — especially as Jon gave up Winterfell’s autonomy to enlist the Daenerys’ assistance in fighting the Night King’s White Walkers and his undead army, a decision he made without anyone’s counsel but his own.

What do you think about George Lucas having visited the set of Game of Thrones‘ final season? Let us know in the comments below.

Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its final season on April 14th.