For years, HBO executives have remarked about their desire to see Game of Thrones last as many as ten seasons. And why would they want to let it go? GoT is easily among the most popular series the network has ever had and it is the reigning Emmy Award winner for Best TV Drama. But all tales must end, and even HBO is bowing to the inevitable.
At the Television Critics Association Press Tour, HBO’s President of Programming Casey Bloys acknowledged that Game of Thrones will end after the eighth season, although he stopped short of saying how many episodes would be in the final season. The seventh season of GoT will have only seven episodes and it has been pushed back to summer 2017, in order for showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss to shoot the new episodes in winter environments.
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But what happens after the eighth season? George R.R. Martin has often suggested a series of prequel stories based on his Dunk & Egg or The Hedge Knight, which share a world with his A Song of Ice and Fire characters. Bloys admitted that HBO is considering a spinoff, but it is far from confirmed. “We’ve talked about it; it’s something I’m not opposed to,” related Bloys, “but of course it has to make sense creatively. I’m not sure that the guys could really wrap their heads around it when they’re just about to start production. … I’m open to it. The guys weren’t opposed to it, but there’s no concrete plans for it at this point.”
We’d be very surprised if there wasn’t a GoT spinoff down the line. It’s simply become too massive for HBO to pass up. However, we’d be equally surprised if Benioff and Weiss returned for the spinoff after devoting over a decade of their lives to bringing Game of Thrones to television. The final season is expected to be broadcast in 2018.
How do you feel about a potential Game of Thrones spinoff series? Let us know in the comment section below!
