Before production for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 began, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss revealed that the last two seasons of the fantasy epic will not have the same 10-episode run as prior seasons. However, HBO programming president Casey Bloys recently revealed the network's plan to stretch the eighth and final season with a few more episodes.
Speaking to TVLine, Bloys reveals that the reason why "Game of Thrones" hasn't been renewed for Season 8 is that HBO is still discussing how many episodes the farewell season should have. Bloys adds that he's hoping Benioff and Weiss can deliver more than the initially planned six episodes.
As per Variety, it was previously announced that the penultimate season of the Emmy-winning show will only have seven episodes, while "Game of Thrones" Season 8 would only have six episodes.
"They're still figuring it out because I think they're trying to get a shape of the season," Bloys says about the decision-making process for the final outing. "They always do what they think [will yield] the best version of the show. It's all about how many they're comfortable [with]. But I'll always take more."
Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" Season 7 will premiere on HBO in the summer of 2017, which is a little considering that past season came out around spring. Actress Sophie Turner teased that the seventh season is going to be an emotional rollercoaster. She admitted to crying upon reading the script, further commenting that she "nearly fell of my chair. Jaw dropped."
"It's quite sad. It really feels like things are wrapping up and coming to an end," Turner said about the show's shorter Season 7. She further teased, "We've got one more season...well, not all of us," indicating that some of the main cast members will not make it to the final season.
