‘Drone Killer’ Device On Set Of Game of Thrones To Prevent Spoilers

Entertainment Weekly reports that the crew of the final season of Game of Thrones had a ‘drone killer’ on the set to prevent spoilers from leaking. Sophie Turner first revealed the news during an appearance at the New York Comic Con on Sunday.

She said: “If a drone flies above sets, there’s a thing that can kill the drones, which is really cool. It creates a field around it and the drones just drop. It’s very X-Men.”

A report from the The Los Angeles Times earlier this year defined a drone killer as “an electronic device that can disable a drone in the sky and force it back to the ground.” It’s typically only used by police for “life and death situations.” The device “looks like a gun” and “can be aimed like a rifle or a shotgun at a drone in the air. The 30-degree field of its beam and its range of almost half a mile make the target hard to miss.” It was initially used by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to protect the 2017 Rose Parade, and has since been used for other public events.

Sets in Northern Island had several no-fly zone warnings over them, including Winterfell castle. Drones, helicopters and planes were not allowed to go near them. HBO worked with local authorities to prevent unauthorized photographs. It’s unknown if the crew actually used the drone killer. Other tricks to prevent spoilers included not allowing any paper scripts on set, only giving the actors access through a secure app. The final season debuts in 2019.