An unprecedented avalanche of 'Game of Thrones' set leaks are making their way online
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season seven.
The INSIDER Summary:
"Game of Thrones" has been filming significant new scenes in Spain.
Fans and paparazzi are camping in the hills to capture video and photos.
The volume of leaks is unprecedented in the history of the show.
"Game of Thrones" season seven began production in early August, and after just a few months of filming we're already knee-deep in a flood of set leaks.
Though grainy photos and the occasional video captured of the set is commonplace - last year a major image of Kit Harington as Jon Snow leaked, as well as footage of the Tower of Joy scene being filmed - this year the volume seems to be ramping up.
Last chance to stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers for season seven!
While this in itself is hardly surprising - the Dragon Queen and King in the North were bound to encounter each other sooner or later - it's the manner in which we are learning about it that has begun to surprise fans.
The "Game of Thrones" crew has been filming outdoor scenes in Spain, and so far three full-length videos have been captured showing significant scenes. The first to leak was a tense exchange between Davos Seaworth, Tyrion, two guards, and Gendry. Yes, you read that right. Gendry is back!
The second was a brief scene showing Jon Snow walking down some stone steps to Daenerys Targaryen. Apparently the two will cross paths at Dragonstone, which fans will remember is Stannis Baratheon's old haunt and the Daenerys' birthplace.
One photo in particular reveals just how crazy the "Game of Thrones" mania has become. A Redditor popped into the "Game of Thrones" subreddit to share a picture showing a group of people - all with telescopes and gigantic zoom lens cameras - standing on a cliff side.
Short of canceling any outdoor filming, it seems like there's nothing HBO or the "Game of Thrones" crew could do to prevent superfans from taking photos or video without permission and sharing them online.
Actress Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) took to Twitter to express her frustration with the leaks.
The showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, have spoken out against spoilers in the past.
"It's like protecting your house," Benioff told Entertainment Weekly in April 2016. "You make it as hard as possible for burglars in hopes they look for some other house to burgle, but it's impossible to ever completely secure your house."
When the topic of leaked images and people crawling through mud to for season six came up, Benioff elaborated. "I just want to point out that guy's an a--hole," Benioff said. "You're not cool for doing that, you're an a--hole."
So far no comment has been made from the crew, other than Emmanuel's tweets, about the recent leaks.