For everyone bemoaning that the final season of Game of Thrones is fast approaching, take solace in knowing you’re not alone. In fact the bearded man behind the series, George R.R. Martin, doesn’t want the TV series to end anytime soon either. “We could’ve gone 11, 12, 13 seasons,” Martin told Variety at the Primetime Emmy’s Monday.
“[Co-showrunners] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] have been saying for like five seasons that seven seasons is all they would go,” Martin continued. “We got them to go to eight but not any more than that. There was a period like five years ago when they were saying seven seasons and I was saying 10 seasons and they won, they’re the ones actually working on it.”
Unsurprisingly, GoT led the Emmys with 22 nominations for its seventh season. The show took home wins in Best Drama Series, Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage, and notched a victory for its special effects.
Benioff and Weiss also revealed why there’s been such a lengthy wait for the series’ eight and final season.
“The final season’s taking a long time because it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Benioff said. “It was nearly a full year in Belfast either prepping it or actually shooting it. I think when people see it they’re going to understand why it took so long. The last season is far beyond what we’ve ever attempted before.”
This won’t be the last we’ll see of the Game of Thrones universe either. HBO has various prequel and supplemental series that will debut in 2020 following the final GoT, which will premiere in 2019.
“I don’t know if [Game of Thrones] has changed television, but it has changed science fiction and fantasy television,” Martin said. “And we’ve achieved a level of respectability thanks to the genius of these actors, producers, and writers. That has made us equal to any genre.”
“We’re not done with Westeros yet—we have plenty of story to tell,” Martin added.
