Though the sixth season of Game of Thrones has yet to premiere, with a now set date of April 24th, HBO is apparently already talking about renewing the series not just for a seventh season, but an eighth as well.
At the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena on Thursday night, HBO president Michael Lombardo said they are very close to renewing the hit series for an additional two seasons. Lombardo previously hinted at the possibly of an eighth season last summer, stating “The question is, ‘How much beyond seven are we going to do?’ Obviously we’re shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] feel like there’s two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that’s what we’re looking at right now.”
It is unclear if a potential eighth would the series last, especially since George R.R. Martin, the series creator, has only planned seven books in the A Song of Ice and Fire. This doesn’t mean the series can’t expand beyond the books; after all, the third book in the series A Storm of Swords was adapted over the course of Seasons 3 and 4. Fans could very well see future books split over seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLRZj5yRUUM
There has also been a lot of speculation that a season of Game of Thrones could be a prequel, depicting the events leading up to the start of the series, namely Robert’s Rebellion. Fans of the book and television series know that was the civil war that led to Robert Baratheon taking the Iron Throne, casting the Targaryen dynasty out of Westeros and naming Ned Stark Warden of the North. It’s always possible we could see those events on screen.
This announcement also comes very soon after Martin confirmed The Winds of Winter, the long awaited sixth installment, will not be completed before the show returns in April, if at all this year. The show has now caught up to the books and everything past Season 5’s finale is virtually unknown to the readers, who are worried the show will now spoil the books. With two more seasons likely coming, it is almost a certainty the show will actually finish before Martin completes the final book of his fantasy epic. Only time will tell when he’ll finally finish and how much the show will spoil.
Originally published January 8, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
