UPDATED 4:31 p.m. ET: Game of Thrones executive producer Bernie Caulfield admitted that, yes, the coffee cup was indeed a screw-up. "Our on-set prop people and decorators are so on it 1,000 percent," she told WNYC. "I just honestly can’t, I’m like, is that really? Because nowadays you can’t believe what you see because people can put things into a photo that really doesn’t exist. But I guess maybe it was there, I’m not sure. But, yeah. We’re sorry."
It wasn't a Starbucks cup, though. Art director Hauke Richter told TMZ that the drink came from a local coffee shop in Northern Ireland, where Game of Thrones was shot. HBO's official statement on the matter read, "The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea."
The network has also digitally removed the cup.
See original story below.
With a production as large as that on Game of Thrones, there's bound to be a few goofs and errors sneaking in there every now and then. During Season 8 Episode 4, "The Last of the Starks," fans quickly noticed one such mistake, with many believing they spotted a Starbucks cup left in a critical scene.
At around the 17:40 point of the episode (through HBO Go, at least), the cup can be seen sitting on the table near Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. The out of place coffee cup was spotted by eagle-eyed viewers, who also brought up how showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss showed up for cameos in the same scene. While it's not clear enough for fans to be sure it's a Starbucks cup, it definitely sticks out. God bless any Starbucks employee attempting to spell Daenerys right.
Although HBO hasn't commented on the apparent faux pas, Starbucks found time to poke fun at it by referencing the dragon drink, a secret menu beverage that's recently been publicly rolled out. It makes sense the company would be in good spirits: Placement on a television show as popular as Game of Thrones would've cost at least $250,000, according to MarketWatch.
HBO has teased another huge battle ahead in the trailer for Episode 5, which airs on May 12. The penultimate installment will also run for approximately 80 minutes, and the teaser promises plenty of brooding shots of the main cast.
Check out some of the best reactions to the Starbucks cameo below.