A recent headline reveals that one of Game of Thrones’ stunt performers is suing HBO for an injury that she underwent while filming the final season of the show. A Game of Thrones series of fantasy books was first published in 1996 by George R.R. Martin. But it was in the year 2011 that the franchise turned into a globally acclaimed series. Game of Thrones had an incredible run on HBO for eight seasons.

The pop culture giant saw the people of Westeros battle for the Iron Throne while also trying to defeat the White Walkers. Although it ended in 2019, the series was so phenomenal that it continued to come up in discussions on social media. In addition, a prequel series, House of the Dragon, is coming out this year. And Martin is working on the next book in his series titled The Winds of Winter.

Game Of Thrones Final Seasons

It is true that Game of Thrones is a commercial asset for HBO. But the show’s seventh and eighth season received a hefty amount of backlash from fans and critics. The final season only consisted of sex episodes, making it the shortest in the franchise. As a result, the storyline and writing seemed hasty.

The first few episodes of Game of Thrones Season 8 paid primary focus on the battle against the White Walkers before Jon Snow and Daenerys came into conflict with the Lannisters. In addition, Episode 3 was very crucial for the series. This is because it saw the deaths of Melisandre, Jorah Mormont, Theon Greyjoy, and the Night King, who was killed by Arya Stark.

The Claim On The Show’s Production Company 

There were a lot of stunt artists who participated in the final season of Game of Thrones. And now, years after the series’ conclusion, one person is filing a case for an injury that they underwent on the set. As per the report by Variety, Casey Michaels is suing Fire & Blood Productions for $5 million. Michaels played a Wight in “The Long Night” and suffered a “serious fracture dislocation to her left ankle”. This was after a stunt that saw her walking off a roof.

Court documents state that 28 stunt performers were involved in the scene, with groups of 4-5 walking off of the roof at a time. The actors were instructed to walk off the set’s roof “as if unaware of the drop, in keeping with the zombie-like nature of the Wights,” before landing on cardboard boxes and mats below.

Also Read : Is There A Game Of Thrones Spin-off More Compelling Than House Of The Dragon

Why The Lawsuit Seems In Casey’s Favor 

Casey Micheals claims that the rig was not sustainable considering the number of people that repeatedly fell and climbed off the cardboard boxes. The poor construction is what led to her injury as she was the last Wight to fall off the rig. In the past four years, Michaels has undergone several foot surgeries (one of which involved inserting a plate and screws). Additionally, she has done physiotherapy while simultaneously dealing with PTSD and depression. The stunt performer from Game of Thrones has opened up about her daily struggles of performing basic tasks. But the production company refuses to accept her allegations.

Fire & Blood Productions claims the rig Michaels landed on was “durable and was not compressed when a stunt performer stepped off onto the mattress and rolled away”. They also blame her by saying that she didn’t perform the stunt as instructed. They further stated the injury was “caused either by the Claimant’s failure to execute the pleaded stunt properly and/or with the skill and care of a reasonably competent stunt performer or by pure accident.”

Will Game Of Thrones’ Creators Undergo Trial?

Casey Micheals is a professional who has an immense amount of experience performing stunts. She has worked with a bunch of big-budget franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. This leads us to believe the intensity and truth behind her claim when she says that the conditions on Game of Thrones’ set were not safe.

But four years have passed since Micheals sustained her injury. So it will not be an easy task for the court to determine the truth about the events of the day that accident happened. Considering the low recovery speed of Micheals’ injury as well as the severity of the hurt and the lack of attention that the production company is paying to them, the lawsuit is clearly not an oddball. However, it is too soon to rule out any possibilities until Michaels and Fire & Blood Productions release more statements.