'Game of Thrones' Season 8 News: HBO Head Explains the Long Wait for the Final Season
HBO's programming president, Casey Bloys, revealed why fans will have to wait until 2019 for the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones."
Speaking at the 2018 Television Critics Association, Bloys explained that the final season for "Game of Thrones" is taking long because showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are being meticulous to create the best six episodes of the entire franchise.
"They take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality. As the show has gone on, it's gotten bigger — big battle scenes, big special effects," Bloys said. "These things take time," Bloys revealed, Entertainment Weekly reports.
In terms of other episode details, Bloys said that it will all depend on what Weiss and Benioff will need to make "Game of Thrones" the top-notch TV series.
"It really will be dependent on when the showrunners get the cuts and what they're happy with. ... When we're going to air, how long the episodes are — we're taking their lead on what they need," Bloys added, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
Bloys also confirmed that he's read the final six episodes of "Game of Thrones." Even though he didn't offer any teasers, he does assures fans of the franchise that they will be "very, very happy" with how it ends.
With the final six episodes of "Game of Thrones" coming in 2019, many are wondering if HBO is considering creating a revival or spin-off series to. Unfortunately, Bloys confirmed that there will be no such thing.
"That's not happening. This story, 'A Song of Fire and Ice,' is done. There's no revival, reboot, spinoff talk," Bloys said.
However, fans of the franchise can always look forward to the "Game of Throne" prequels that are already underway. But they'll have to wait a little bit longer for those shows to air because Bloys said that they will wait at least a year from the airing of "Game of Thrones" season 8 before they launch any of the prequels.
"Game of Thrones" returns with season 8 in 2019 on HBO.