Game of Thrones Creators Have Known How The Show Ends Since Season 3

As Game of Thrones winds down into its final two seasons, the end looms on the horizon like an army of White Walkers. But unlike the citizens of Westeros who are just now learning about the potential end of their world, creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have known how everything would end since Season 3.

In an interview with Time on Tuesday, Benioff and Weiss revealed that they sat down with George R. R. Martin to discuss the story’s endgame between Season 2 and Season 3.

D.B. Weiss said, “There were some details that were added later — but pretty much the actual endgame, the main climactic moments, we had in mind then…we were mainly talking to George to see how our notion of where things ended up jibed with his notion.”

David Benioff added, “That’s when he told us about the Hodor backstory, and endgame stuff. A lot of it, he wasn’t sure yet, because…he discovers things by writing. For us as TV writer-producers, we have to be architects. Everything has to be planned out really far in advance….we can’t say we’re going to stop and figure things out for a couple years.”

While the viewers were steeling up to anticipate The Red Wedding, then, the Game of Thrones creators were already plotting the end.

Benioff and Weiss also revealed why they re-shot the original pilot — partly because it was unclear the Lannisters were siblings — and they let slip that Daenerys was filming on her dragons in the snow. Meaning, the Dragon Queen is heading North at some point in Season 7 after she’s at Dragonstone.

Read the full interview here.

Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres July 16 on [HB](https://www.inverse.com/topic/hbo)O.