HBO Exec Hints at Massive 'Game of Thrones' Final Season Death Count

No character is safe in the final season of Game of Thrones.

The HBO hit returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday (April 14) and network execs are hinting at a high body count–even by Game of Thrones standards.

Francesca Orsi, HBO’s SVP of drama, spoke on the Best of HBO panel at the INTV conference in Israel on Tuesday (April 9) and described the show’s emotional final table read.

“It was a really powerful moment in our lives and our careers,” she said of the table read. “None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started falling down to their deaths.”

According to Orsi, the cast read six scripts in a row, followed by a 15-20 minute standing ovation.

“It was amazing,” she said. “By the very end, everyone looked down and looked up and tears were in their eyes.”

Game of Thrones returns Sunday (April 14) on HBO.