In the vast realm of cinema and the plethora of content it holds, there have been many times that the production caused a blunder only to be later pointed out by the fans. While there have been many such incidents, some Lord of the Rings fans spotted a car driving around in the background.
Yet this mistake could not have been greater than the infamous coffee cup during one of the episodes of the hit Game of Thrones. During one of the episodes of the show’s final season, fans spotted the coffee cup where the Mother of Dragons, Emilia Clarke, was sitting.
The Infamous Cupgate of Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones has had its fair share of controversies that have now become an indispensable part of its legacy. Yet, a coffee cup is not something that fans expected to become a part of the show’s legacy.
Back in 2019, in the fourth episode of the show’s final season, a coffee cup was spotted on the table where a celebratory feast was being held at the Winterfell castle. Spotted where actress Emilia Clarke was sitting, the shot strung heaps of memes before HBO digitally edited out the cup.
While the official X account of Game of Thrones later admitted the mistake, fans wondered for a long, long time whose coffee cup it really was. Since it was next to Clarke, many presumed it to be hers. But the actress later revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the coffee cup belonged to Conleth Hill, who played Lord Varys on the show.
Furthermore, the cup was initially identified as a Starbucks coffee cup, for it looked oddly similar to the brand’s usual and iconic merchandise. However, it was later revealed that the modern-day coffee cup in the medieval fantasy show was actually from a local brand from where it was being shot in Banbridge, Northern Ireland (see The Guardian).
If this CupGate blunder wasn’t enough of a hint for HBO to start paying attention, fans later spotted a plastic water bottle next to Samwell Tarly’s feet during the lords of Westeros’ meeting at King’s Landing in the season finale (via X).
The Lord of the Rings’ CarGate!
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most incredible fantasy franchises of all time with a huge budget and an incredible dedication to do justice to J.R.R. Tolkien’s original work. Yet, that has not kept the franchise from committing mistakes. In one of the scenes of the movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, fans spotted a car driving around in the background.
As Sam and Frodo are parting ways with Gandalf, going on their journey to Rivendell, they pass through several eye-catching landscapes. But in one scene, as they are going across a farm, just as the scene cuts to the background of hillsides, fans believe a car can be seen driving past (see Reddit).
Although such a car is not really visible and only the smoke from it is, the cast and crew tried to hide the mistake and digitally edited it out in the DVD release. Later on, when the smoke from the car was spotted in the Special Features DVD, they came clean that a car was indeed there in the background but was hardly noticeable because of a nearby smoking chimney (see CBR).
From the infamous coffee cup of Game of Thrones to the car sneaking into The Lord of the Rings, there have been many instances where the production made such a blunder only to be later pointed out by fans. While these mistakes show the lack of caution among the cast and crew, these blunders really add to the charm of these shows and movies, giving us something to laugh about and bond over.
Game of Thrones can be streamed on Max while The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring can be streamed on Hulu.
