Gone are the days when Rhaegal, Viserion and Drogon sat perched on the shoulders of Daenerys Targaryen, spitting small plumes of fire as they fought to protect their newfound Mother of Dragons. For in Game of Thrones season 7, Drogon and the gang will be bigger – much bigger.
Similar to how each season is marketed as bigger and bolder than those that came before, Game of Thrones fans are quite used to reports confirming that Drogon and Co. will have grown off-screen during the show’s annual hiatus. But this time, it’s different. As director Matt Shankman tells Entertainment Weekly, Daenerys’ loyal guards will be “the size of 747s” by the time season 7 premieres in July, which ought to come in handy when the Mother of Dragons returns to Westeros baying for blood (and the Iron Throne!).
Per EW: “The dragons this year are the size of 747s. Drogon is the biggest of the bunch — his flame is 30-feet in diameter!” As the outlet notes, a typical 747 aircraft stretches 230 feet long with a 210 feet wingspan. In short, Rhaegal, Viserion and Drogon have evolved into airborne behemoths, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Emilia Clarke’s fearless leader will be able to hitch a ride on Drogon’s back in season 7 and beyond.
One thing we do know for sure, though, is that Shankman is one of four directors on board for Game of Thrones season 7, with series stalwart Alan Taylor, Jeremy Podeswa and Mark Mylod completing the roster of filmmaking talent.
Game of Thrones kicks off its two-part finale on July 16th. It’ll clock in at 13 episodes in total – seven for season 7, six for the season finale – though there’s already mooted talk of HBO exploring some form of prequel series steeped in the rich history of Westeros. Should the network push on with those plans, and chances are it will, it should be stressed that co-showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff won’t be involved whatsoever.
