“George would fly to New York to have lunch with Plepler, to beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience,” Haas said (via Insider). “[Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Beniof] were tired, rightfully so. They were done, and wanted to move on, so they cut it short and then negotiations became, how many seasons can we stretch this out? Because of course HBO wanted more.”
Before “Game of Thrones” aired its series finale in May 2019, Martin published a blog post in which he said he was feeling “complex and a little sad” about the show ending in its eighth year. The author added, “I wish we had a few more seasons. But I understand. [Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss] are gonna go on to do other things, and I’m sure some of the actors were signed up for like seven or eight years, and they would like to go on and take other roles. All of that is fair. I’m not angry or anything like that, but there’s a little wistfulness in me.” Part of the reason Martin was feeling upset about “Thrones” ending was because of how the show’s cast and crew became an extended family. “Whenever a show ends, and the longer the show lasts the harder it is. You’re really with a family,” the author said. “You’re with them for a large part of the year, and not only working with them, but you’re often living with them in some distant location where you’re all in one hotel together. You’re seeing them every day, like five days a week, sometimes seven days a week. They’re very intensely involved in your life.” “Then it ends, and everybody scatters to the ends of the earth,” Martin added. “And a show that’s lasted as long as ‘Game of Thrones,’ it’s the eighth season but it’s like, what, 10 years they’ve all been together?” “Game of Thrones” is set to continue on television in the new year with the premiere of prequel series “House of the Dragon.” HBO has yet to announce a specific release date. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
