It’s the beginning of the end for HBO’s Song of Ice and Fire.
Filming on Game of Thrones season 8 continues apace ahead of the impending series finale – April 2019 is said to be the current target – and we know it’ll dial the tension up to 11. And that’s even considering the fact that it’ll only stretch for six episodes in total.
Because with the Night King officially on the march – remember, season 7’s finale showed that blue-eyed devil crossing over into Westeros – it’s all but certain that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss plan to kill off one or two major characters before all is said and done. Or, worse, bring them back as zombified Wights.
It’s for this reason that Ser Jorah Mormont himself, Iain Glen, believes the show’s curtain call won’t be for everyone – even if he considers it to be a “brilliant” conclusion.
I can’t tell [you anything], but I am one of the few people who has read the script and I know the ending and what happens. When I read it, I thought it was rather brilliant. I am a bit of a fan of the series as well, and it satiated my expectation and hopes, I felt [it was the] conclusion [the show needed].
He’s by no means the only one who believes Thrones is ending at the right time, given both Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage – Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister, respectively – have also voiced their support of HBO’s decision to bring the curtain down after eight seasons.
“But we will just have to see,” said Glen. “You know with something this big like Game of Thrones, you cannot please everyone. All I can say is that we will be doing what we have done before and the writers have written great episodes. They have had a great strike rate up to now and I am sure that will continue.”
Season 8 of HBO’s Game of Thrones will begin its rollout next April, by which point we should have a better understanding of those spinoff series percolating in development. There are seemingly five in total, though there’s currently no guarantee that all five story pitches will receive the green light. Nevertheless, for those that do make the cut, HBO is planning to go big on its budget for Thrones‘ successors.
