HBO's Westworld Had A Subtle Game Of Thrones 'Crossover' In Season 3

The worlds of two amazing HBO shows collided in "Westworld" Season 3 when the sci-fi series featured a blink-and-you'll-miss-it "Game of Thrones" Easter egg. 

In Season 3, Episode 2, "The Winter Line," "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss briefly appeared as two technicians preparing to dismantle a dragon android while Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) walk by rooms full of failed Delos park prototypes. Benioff and Weiss' quick interaction reveals that the parts are being sent to a startup in Costa Rica. The dragon, who lets out a familiar growl, looks identical to Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) winged beast Drogon from "Game of Thrones." It was later confirmed that "Westworld" recruited the VFX production company for "GOT," Pixomondo, to recreate Drogon for the scene. 

As for where the idea came from, "Westworld" creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were inspired by "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R.R. Martin, who is a huge fan of the show. "People have often joked about 'Westworld'-'Game of Thrones' crossovers. George R.R. Martin likes to joke about that," Joy revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette. "We thought we'd kind of indulge in that for a moment, and who better to bring to the park than Dan and Dave? And they let us borrow their dragon, so they were really good sports for the scene."

After the episode aired in 2020, George R.R. Martin published a post on his Not a Blog outlining his thoughts on David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Drogon's surprise "Westworld" appearance. "Some people loved the cameo, some hated it, and everybody, it seems to me, is making way too much of it," he wrote. Predictably, the crossover sent "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld" fans into a frenzy online. Some theorized that the scene confirmed a shared universe between the two shows, while others joked that a "Westeros World" theme park served as a better ending to "Game of Thrones" than the notoriously maligned Season 8. 

Martin shared that he wasn't aware his universe was going to show up in "Westworld" before watching the episode. The scene also made him recall supporting a crossover between the two worlds. "I did suggest to Jonah [Nolan] that, seeing as how the original 'Westworld' film featured a Medieval World, the TV version could easily have a Westeros World," Martin continued. "I never wanted a full crossover ... but a brief scene or two could have been fun, and would have been in keeping with the Delos concept. And, hey, I even suggested that they could bring back actors from 'GOT,' characters we had killed."

"Game of Thrones" fans weren't treated to a Sean Bean or Richard Madden cameo in "Westworld," but this subtle crossover remains a memorable moment in HBO history.