'Game of Thrones' Season 8 News: HBO Boss Casey Bloys Promises 'Fantastic' Final Season
"Game of Thrones" will not be returning for its final season until 2019, and HBO programming president Casey Bloys assures that it will be worth the wait.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter recently, Bloys revealed that he has already read the scripts for all six episodes of the eighth and final season. And, while he refused to divulge any important plot details — like who ultimately ends up on the Iron Throne — he did promise a very satisfying last installment.
"They're great. It's fantastic," he said. "The fans are going to be very, very happy."
The wait between seasons 7 and 8 is the longest in "Game of Thrones" history, but Bloys promises that it is for good reason. Exceptional quality cannot be rushed, and showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are making sure that they deliver down to the very last shot.
"It really will be dependent on when the showrunners get the cuts and what they're happy with," he said when asked about the episode length. "When we're going to air, how long the episodes are — we're taking their lead on what they need."
Bloys also shut down any possibility of reviving the show sometime in the future, which has become quite a trend in Hollywood as of late. And, even though there will not be any sequels or spin-offs, there are currently five prequels in development. None of them have been confirmed to go to series yet, though Bloys says that "likely one" will get the go signal.
With the upcoming season set to be the last, the cast is understandably feeling the weight. There is always a chance of disappointing fans, especially since not everyone wants the same ending.
"The pressure we put on ourselves to try and get it as good as we possibly can... Because it's not one person who is the lead in this, who's carrying the whole thing, it's an ensemble piece," Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, told RTE Entertainment.
"Game of Thrones" season 8 will premiere next year.