In an interview with Variety “Game of Thrones” showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have speculated that they will likely wrap the show up after its 8th season, with an abbreviated season 7 and 8 which may total as few as 13 episodes in total. Benioff is quoted as saying:
“I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap. That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at.”
This may be sad news for those hoping the series would go on forever, but fans may still hope for at least a few extra hours of GoT goodness, with HBO releasing a statement shortly after the interview:
“Any conversations about the end of Game of Thrones and the number of episodes of future seasons is purely speculative. As is customary, HBO will sit with Dan and David to discuss the details once a decision has been made to go forward with season 7.”
“Any conversations about the end of Game of Thrones and the number of episodes of future seasons is purely speculative. As is customary, HBO will sit with Dan and David to discuss the details once a decision has been made to go forward with season 7.”
The show has now officially caught up with George R.R. Martin’s source material, and he has been notoriously slow at finishing off the series on which the show is based. The last book “A Dance with Dragons” was released in 2011 and he has yet to complete its follow up “The Winds of Winter”; “A Dream of Spring” is meant to be the final book in the series, but Martin has commented that there is some chance that may change.
Whilst he is involved with the production of the television series and the direction of the story, it is likely to deviate significantly from the unreleased books this year, so perhaps finishing at 8 seasons is the right move. GoT is one of if not the biggest draw card for HBO subscriptions so I wouldn’t be surprised if the top brass at HBO are working hard behind the scenes to get Weiss and Benioff on board for a 9th or even 10th season. The long rumoured feature film may also be a possibility as a bookend to the series.
How do you feel about this news? Can you imagine a world without 13 hours of GoT every year? Or would you prefer them to wrap things up so you can finally get some closure, maybe (if it’s not too much to ask!) even a happy ending for a good character instead of the usual gruesome fate that befalls just about every protagonist would be nice.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.