One of the best episodes of HBO’s immensely popular fantasy series Game of Thrones thus far is undeniably season two’s “Blackwater.”  The installment is singled out for good reason, as the hourlong chronicle of the Battle of Blackwater Bay is heavy on character, intensity, and fantastic pacing.  Book series creator George R.R. Martin wrote the episode, but it was director Neil Marshall who brought “Blackwater” to life, and now it appears that the The Descent helmer has been asked back to helm the season four finale of Game of Thrones.  Hit the jump for more.

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Sources tell the folks over at Empire that Marshall has been asked to return to direct the final episode of next year’s season four, though this has yet to be confirmed by HBO.  Without getting into spoilers, the finale involves The Wall.  If you want more information, click here for a spoilery summation of what to expect from the season four finale.  Marshall is currently developing the vampire feature The Last Voyage of the Demeter and last helmed the pilot for the upcoming Starz pirate series Black Sails.

Production on Game of Thrones season four doesn't begin until later this month, so Marshall has some time to decide whether or not to come back to the series, but I’m sure most fans would be pleased to see him return.  The events of season four will roughly cover the second half of Martin’s third A Song of Ice and Fire book, A Storm of Swords, and I’m eager to see how the series progresses following the grim events of the season three finale.  The new episodes will kick off on HBO next Spring, but Game of Thrones is sure to be holding a panel at Comic-Con this year so we can expect to learn a bit more about season four in a couple of weeks.

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