Report: ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7 Premiere Is the Longest in Years

Game of Thrones Season 7 isn’t likely to garner complaints of extended runtime, especially with thirteen hours left overall. Still, there’s good reason to suspect that HBO’s flagship drama will be cramming episodes to the gills, as the July 16 premiere runtime is one of its longest yet.

According to The Telegraph (h/t UPROXX), the as-yet-untitled Season 7 premiere will clock in at a full 59 minutes, just three shy of the the series’ longest premiere, “Winter Is Coming,” all the way back in 2011. The longest episode to date has been Season 6 finale “The Winds of Winter,” running a full 69 minutes.

Granted, the switch to seven and six-episode seasons was aimed primarily at maximizing production value within a year-long span, it’s not out of the question that Season 7 or 8 episodes run statistically longer than their predecessors. After all, there’s plenty of story to burn through in these final episodes, and HBO would naturally encourage any additional airtime.

Elsewhere of Game of Thrones Season 7, now set for a July 16 premiere, a list of directors for the year has been announced along with rumors of some major set pieces and battles, and airplane-sized dragons. Harry Potter star Jim Broadbent gave us surprising details of his “significant” role, while several notable returns have likely been revealed, along with unexpected MLB and musical cameos, and one recast.

We’ll see what other details shake out in the coming weeks, but watch the Game of Thrones Season 7 trailer below, and stay tuned.