“Game of Thrones” Season 7 will be vastly different for one very specific reason

We’ve been anxiously anticipating our return to Westeros since the moment Game of Thrones Season 6 ended. We already knew to prepare for surprises. But the cast of Game of Thrones confirmed that the pace of Season 7 will be unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.

A show that made the future sound really foreboding with every “winter is coming” will finally start paying off all the dominos it has been setting up over the past several years. And, apparently, that means that this season’s episodes move at a breakneck pace.

Entertainment Weekly reports that both the actors and the showrunners were keenly aware of the change of pace in this latest season.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, aka Jaime Lannister, was shocked at how quickly things go down.

"Everything happened quicker than I’m used to, " he explained. "A lot of things that normally take a season now take one episode"

And Kit Harington, aka Jon Snow, agreed that the speed of the action is way faster than the previous seasons.

"This season is really different than any other season because it’s accelerating toward the end, a lot of stuff collides and happens much much quicker than you’re used to seeing on Thrones…it’s so different than what everybody is used to. It’s quite exciting," Harington said.

But the showrunners insist that the show’s pace is not being rushed because we’re getting 7 instead of 10 episodes this season. It’s simply because there is so much going on, every episode has to be packed with paying off the worlds that are finally colliding. They’re no longer talking about future wars – they’re actually living them.

And that means some serious action is about to go down.

The stakes have never been higher. And we honestly have no idea what to expect with the ruthless Cersei sitting on the Iron Throne. After all, she’s not exactly world renowned for her patience.

Not to mention, Daenerys on her way to take that throne from her. And she’s not only supported by some powerful alliances, but she’s also packing the heat (literally) with dragons. Yep, ready-for-battle, badass dragons.

Oh, and meanwhile the White Walkers and their terrifying King have been slowly descending and will likely hit The Wall any day now. And then there are all the other major characters who all have their own agendas like Bran, The Hound, Littlefinger, Melisandre, and – hopefully – Gendry (finally?).

In short, there’s a ton going on. And, though it will be a shorter season than what we’re used to, every episode of this upcoming season will be packed with tons of excitement and action.

Is it July 16 yet?