Game of Thrones is coming to an end. HBO’s mega hit and one of the most popular television shows of all-time will be calling it quits after just two more seasons. The seventh outing, which is said to be quite bleak, will arrive later this year and only run for seven episodes while the eighth and final season will presumably air in 2018. After that though, it’s done. Or at least, the main series is done.
Talk of a spinoff of some sorts has been popping up for a while now, and while HBO has yet to confirm anything, you have to believe that they’re seriously considering the option. After all, when you have a show as popular as Game of Thrones, you don’t just let the property fade into oblivion, you milk it for all it’s worth. There are, of course, a number of potential spinoffs that can stem from the series, given how rich this world that George R.R. Martin has created is, and that’s something which isn’t lost on the network.
Speaking to Variety earlier this week, HBO programming president Casey Bloys was asked once again about plans for a spinoff and said that nothing’s set in stone just yet, but they’re definitely exploring the different options:
“All I can say is that we’re exploring it. We don’t have any scripts, we’re not even close to saying ‘Oh let’s do this.’ But it’s a big enough property that we would be foolish not to explore it. It’s a really rich world. We’d be foolish not to look at it.”
We’ve no doubt that HBO will eventually move ahead with a spinoff, but it’s hard to say which characters it’ll revolve around or even which time period it’ll take place in. Some fans have been hoping though that Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg will get the television treatment. For those unfamiliar, it’s a novella series set 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones and would definitely make for an interesting show – even though the creators don’t seem too keen on it. That’s just one of many options, however, as this world is so rich and vast that HBO can take a whole host of different angles should they choose to continue the story.
Aside from the spinoff talk, Bloys also mentioned that they still don’t have a final episode count for season 8. Chatting to Deadline, the network exec said they’re still discussing it. We’ve heard in the past that it will be condensed, just like season 7, but it seems that HBO hasn’t settled on a concrete number yet and is still weighing their options. 6 episodes is what’s being speculated at this point, but again, nothing’s been decided.
Game of Thrones will make its triumphant return on June 25th, 2017. Tell us, are you looking forward to these last two outings for the hit fantasy series? And what ideas do you have for a potential spinoff? Sound off in the usual place and give us your thoughts!