HBO is releasing a feature documentary about the making of Game of Thrones the week after the series finale.
On Wednesday, HBO announced a two-hour documentary titled The Last Watch. The movie chronicles the making of Game of Thrones Season 8, the grand finale to the TV sensation of the decade. It will premiere on Sunday, May 26, the week after the final episode of the series.
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The Last Watch comes from acclaimed filmmaker Jeanie Finlay. Finlay spent time on the highly secretive set of Game of Thrones for a full year, documenting the making of the final War for the Dawn.
According to HBO, The Last Watch is “much more than a ‘making of’ documentary.” The film brings fans in close to the production, in all of its triumphs and hardships. It takes them through the long shoots and the harsh conditions, including “extreme weather” and weeks of highly physical battle training. On top of that, it tackles the complex emotions of saying goodbye to a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.
As a part of that, the documentary will examine the Game of Thrones fandom — for better or worse. The movie reportedly gives fans a taste of what it is like to be on the other side of a mob demanding more episodes faster than they can be made, and the impossible task of preventing spoilers.
While many fans were dismayed by the two-year wait between seasons 7 and 8, the documentary will apparently show just how draining the show can be, and how every second of that time was utilized to make a meaningful finale.
Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss reportedly served as executive producers on The Last Watch as well. Finlay is known for other films including Seahorse, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, The Great Hip Hop Hoax, Sound It Out and Goth Cruise. This marks her eighth feature film.
The Last Watch will directly follow the Game of Thrones Season 8 finale. The show begins its shortened final season on April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. There are only six episodes in this final installment, though some are rumored to be well over the usual one-hour run time, with a few even as long as movies.
The series finale will air on Sunday, May 19. After that, fans will get a look at how the whole thing was made in The Last Watch.
