\u201cGame of Thrones\u201d returns for its season seven premiere on July 16, HBO announced Thursday in an elaborate marketing stunt which elated and bemused fans of the hit fantasy show.<\/p>\n
In a gimmick described by the New York Times as \u201cmemorably misguided,\u201d the US cable network revealed all in a Facebook Live video showing a block of ice which viewers had to melt by commenting \u201cFire\u201d to reveal the date.<\/p>\n
The process was supposed to take a touch under 15 minutes \u2014 already a long time to be concentrating on a block of slowly melting ice \u2014 but the video malfunctioned several times, drawing out the process to more than an hour.<\/p>\n
The debacle sparked snarky posts on Twitter, where #GoTS7 remained one of the top trending hashtags worldwide for hours after the announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever is in charge of the @GameofThrones S7 premiere date reveal is getting a visit from Septa Unella,\u201d tweeted one frustrated fan, invoking the brutal nun of the show\u2019s fifth and sixth seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext year, @HBO, a press release will do,\u201d said fan account @BeautyBrienne.<\/p>\n
\u201cGame of Thrones\u201d tells the story of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne, all the while keeping one eye on the \u201cWhite Walkers\u201d leading hordes of the undead toward an invasion from the North.<\/p>\n
Since its debut in 2010, the fantasy epic \u2014 which has 38 Emmys, more than any other narrative show in history \u2014 has been the target of criticism for senseless violence and, more controversially, its pervasive use of rape as a dramatic device.<\/p>\n
The adult themes have not deterred viewers of the show, which has grown its audience in the US to more than 25 million, and is breaking records across the world.<\/p>\n
Season six of \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d was the first to move beyond George R.R. Martin\u2019s \u201cA Song of Ice and Fire\u201d novels.<\/p>\n
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss last year announced a shortened run of episodes for the final two seasons after HBO had already confirmed season seven would return in summer, a departure from the usual April premieres.<\/p>\n
The show has been teasing winter\u2019s arrival since its pilot episode, and with the season six finale entitled \u201cThe Winds of Winter,\u201d the camera crew has been forced to wait for colder weather.<\/p>\n
Benioff told fans at San Diego Comic-Con in July last year shooting would not finish until February and that \u201cthere\u2019s no way to get the show out there until summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cGame of Thrones\u201d returns for its season seven premiere on July 16, HBO announced Thursday in an elaborate marketing stunt which elated and bemused fans of the hit fantasy show. In a gimmick described by the New York Times as \u201cmemorably misguided,\u201d the US cable network revealed all in a Facebook Live video showing a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[137],"tags":[4455,4905],"yoast_head":"\n