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HBO Wants More than 7 Seasons of 'Game of Thrones' (And So Does George R.R. Martin)

By Dustin Rowles | Game of Thrones | March 12, 2015 |

By Dustin Rowles | Game of Thrones | March 12, 2015 |


George R.R. Martin has already suggested that HBO would probably need more than seven seasons to complete Game of Thrones (and thinks a movie would be a great way to end the series), and now HBO is jumping on board that train. That makes sense given how much the series earns the network. However, HBO may even be willing to move beyond seven years without showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who have stated in the past that they will be done after the 7th season:

“This is the hard part of what we do,” sighs HBO programming president Michael Lombardo. “We started this journey with David and Dan. It’s their vision. Would I love the show to go 10 years as both a fan and a network executive? Absolutely.”

So if the producers prefer seven seasons and HBO prefers more, what happens? A conversation…Like amicable spouses who avoid a sensitive area of disagreement, this issue is something HBO and the showrunners haven’t discussed thus far…”We’ll have an honest conversation that explores all possible avenues,” Lombardo says. “If they weren’t comfortable going beyond seven seasons, I trust them implicitly and trust that’s the right decision—as horrifying as that is to me. What I’m not going to do is have a show continue past where the creators believe where they feel they’ve finished with the story.”

There will, however, be NO MOVIE. EVER.

HBO isn’t keen on a Thrones film even if it’s a potential box office blockbuster, however, because the format switch could be construed as snubbing their loyal subscribers. (The showrunners won’t comment on the matter.) “Certainly there have been conversations where it’s been said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do that?’” Lombardo said. “But when you start a series with our subscribers, the promise is that for your HBO fee that we’re going to take you to the end of this. I feel that on some level [a movie would be] changing the rules: Now you have to pay $16 to see how your show ends.”

So, if there’s 10 seasons, does this mean that HBO can actually pass George R.R. Martin’s progress on the Song of Ice and Fire series and then, theoretically, lap him? It’s all fine with me. I say, the more Game of Thrones the better, but if Dany is still standing around in her underwear waiting for her dragons to grow before she advances on the Iron Throne, there may be a problem (depending on the choice of underwear, of course).

Source: EW via Uproxx