Filming is about to begin for the eighth and final season! As we witness the starring cast convene in Belfast for the read-through and rehearsals, we keep hearing about the extreme levels of security the Game of Thrones production is willing to go to in order to avoid leaks. So, in a related fun story, we get into just how far the company in charge of security may go; including the use of birds of prey to take down snooping drones!

The season eight read-through has taken all the cast to Belfast, where many of them have been seen — though, curiously, it appears that selfies are not allowed this time. Nevertheless, along with the sightings there are photos as well, with Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, John Bradley, Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Kristofer Hivju, Iain Glen, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Jacob Anderson, Ben Crompton (Edd is back!) and, next to Nikolaj, someone who looks very much like Pilou Asbæk:

On a flight to Belfast and half the Game of Thrones cast gets on board…should I be worried? — Giles Smith (@Big_Gilo) October 8, 2017



Just walked past Samwell Tarly at Belfast city airport … this can only mean one thing! Eeeeek! @GameOfThrones #season8 #got #GameOfThrones — Aidan (@aidaninwapping) October 8, 2017

ME AND JESS JUST WALKED PAST EMILIA CLARKE KIT HARRINGTON AND JOHN BRADLEY — 🌙🍂✨🦇 (@crvptkeeper) October 9, 2017



Samwell Tarley & Daenarys Targaryen in Belfast today, thankfully no dragons @GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/8vAFGKJC4J — Colin Reid (@gcolinreid7) October 9, 2017

yea wouldnt take a selfie with me though maisie said they wernt allowed 🙁 pic.twitter.com/1qFmQ4vWuA — Ethan Hurl (@EthanTHFC) October 8, 2017

Scotland blew it. On the plus side I ran into Iain Glen and Kristofer Hivju in the Titanic quarter today. Must have been filming #GoT — Alan Smithee (@Anguscurran) October 8, 2017



Only the one my daughter took from the car. They smiled and waived back – I was driving. pic.twitter.com/3qPMXOLA5P — Alan Smithee (@Anguscurran) October 8, 2017

The read-through with the entire cast ends today. The rest of this week will be used for initial rehearsals with two directors before filming begins, at last, in mid-October.

As for the anti-drone story, Belfast Live once reported on the concerns drones have brought to security companies, such as the one in charge of protecting the Paint Hall, the show’s Belfast studios. Drones have become cheaper and better at such a rate that now almost anyone could fly by the Game of Thrones studios and take revealing photos. That’s why drones have been prohibited from flying over Paint Hall studios since 2015 … but, as one may expect, threatening signs have proven to be insufficient.

Noah Price, who is in charge of solving these challenges at one such company, G4S UK, told Belfast Live they “are trying to keep up with the technology just like everyone else” — but the solution isn’t always to match the drone pilots technologically; creativity may be enough. Reportedly, eagles specifically trained to take down drones have been seriously considered for a while now as a way to thwart fans trying to spy on filming.

Apparently, Dutch and Turkish police are already testing these anti-drone eagles, so they are not a Game of Thrones innovation, as appropriate as that would be. Eagles are not dragons, and The Lord of the Rings isn’t Game of Thrones, but it’s still pretty close!