9 years ago, this scene thrilled millions of viewers. It is one of the most epic battles ever filmed in a fantasy TV series

Many epic battles have been filmed for TV series, but probably none have caused as much of a sensation as the Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones. It was a pivotal moment in the TV show, becoming an important point in its timeline and a cult event that went down in television history.

There is a lot to say about Game of Thrones, including negative things, but no one can take away from how influential a television phenomenon it was during its run from 2011 to 2019. It is still considered a model for fantasy TV series that other television creators should follow.

The Battle of the Bastards can be considered not only the most epic battle, but also an example of how to conduct the narrative at such key moments. It is worth noting that the sixth season, in which it took place, was a moment when the creators of the TV series had to show creative ingenuity, as they no longer had source material from which to draw ideas. The Battle of the Bastards is therefore an original event for the HBO TV series, which makes it even more unique.

It featured a battle between the Starks and the Boltons, the culmination of a long dispute in which the Starks fought for their home and their independence. Jon Snow, who had returned home, stood up for his siblings and fought an unforgettable battle with Ramsay Bolton. After a great group battle sequence, there was a final duel between Jon and Ramsay, after which the Starks triumphed and returned to Winterfell.

In preparation for filming the epic battle sequence between the Starks and the Boltons, Miguel Sapochnik, director of Battle of the Bastards, prepared himself by watching footage of battles, drawing inspiration primarily from Akira Kurosawa's film RAN, as he told Entertainment Weekly (via Espinof).

It was a difficult scene that required the involvement of a large crew and cast, and took as long as 20 days to shoot. It took time to coordinate all the elements, with nearly 250 extras and 60-80 horses on set. The preparations before filming were no different, as the crew also had to take care of preparing props specifically for this battle (via The Times).

The efforts paid off. The Battle of the Bastards went down in history as the most epic battle ever shown on television, and the episode in which it took place is the highest-rated episode of Game of Thrones on IMDb, where it has a rating of 9.9 (244K votes).

More about movies and TV series:

• Mark Joseph Connolly was run over on the set of Mission: Impossible - and died a few hours after receiving million in compensation
• Punky Brewster: What happened 40 years later to Soleil Moon Frye, who played the mischievous girl in the cult TV series from the 1980s?
• He earned three times less than Charlie Sheen, even though they were both stars of Two and a Half Men

• TV series
• HBO
• movies based on books
• movie & TV series trivia