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Is season 8 and beyond actually confirmed by anyone important?


barneyfife

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I thin HBO execs wanted more than 7 seasons and the possibility of a prequel series as well. But it was only mentioned once as far as i'm aware and it was only in the sense that it was what they would "like" rather than what "will" happen.

As for D&D, I personally think they stumbled on something big and got big bucks to play with it and make it a massive hit. But then they realised it was going to take years and would be a lot more complex than the fast cash grab they wanted so they dumbed it down and condensed it, hence why we are now racing ahead even if you ignore the next book not being out yet. They cut out a shit load of good content from the last couple of books just to get to their big "wow" scenes, I think it's down hill from here on unfortunately.

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On 2/16/2016 at 2:51 AM, Lordsteve666 said:

I thin HBO execs wanted more than 7 seasons and the possibility of a prequel series as well. But it was only mentioned once as far as i'm aware and it was only in the sense that it was what they would "like" rather than what "will" happen.

As for D&D, I personally think they stumbled on something big and got big bucks to play with it and make it a massive hit. But then they realised it was going to take years and would be a lot more complex than the fast cash grab they wanted so they dumbed it down and condensed it, hence why we are now racing ahead even if you ignore the next book not being out yet. They cut out a shit load of good content from the last couple of books just to get to their big "wow" scenes, I think it's down hill from here on unfortunately.

I think it's the other way around - the original plan which GRRM discussed with D&D way back when was suited to 7 seasons. But HBO and, now possibly GRRM (because he wants it to end at the cinema) want to prolong it.

Mark my words, if it goes passed 7 seasons, it will get worse not better. If it ends in 7, there is a chance of it ending well, without jumping the shark - but if they try and stretch it out too long, then some of the silliness we saw in season 5, or the boredom of the last 2 books, will be nothing compared to what will come.

 

The story is well past the half way point, it needs to wrap up. Winter needs to come and everything needs to be explained and resolved, within 7 seasons and seven books.

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3 hours ago, ummester said:

I think it's the other way around - the original plan which GRRM discussed with D&D way back when was suited to 7 seasons. But HBO and, now possibly GRRM (because he wants it to end at the cinema) want to prolong it.

Mark my words, if it goes passed 7 seasons, it will get worse not better. If it ends in 7, there is a chance of it ending well, without jumping the shark - but if they try and stretch it out too long, then some of the silliness we saw in season 5, or the boredom of the last 2 books, will be nothing compared to what will come.

 

The story is well past the half way point, it needs to wrap up. Winter needs to come and everything needs to be explained and resolved, within 7 seasons and seven books.

You realize there is simply too much material left for it to possibly wrap up in one more season (after season 6) right? That means 10 more episodes for about half of the WoW material and all of DoS. Not going to happen.

There will be 8 seasons, and I am quite sure they can maintain the quality dor the last season, in particular because they will be wrapping up the story, so everything will be coming together and resolving in season 8.

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1 hour ago, Hippocras said:

You realize there is simply too much material left for it to possibly wrap up in one more season (after season 6) right? That means 10 more episodes for about half of the WoW material and all of DoS. Not going to happen.

There will be 8 seasons, and I am quite sure they can maintain the quality dor the last season, in particular because they will be wrapping up the story, so everything will be coming together and resolving in season 8.

I think that it needs to be wrapped up in both book form and the show as well. I like and enjoy both the books and the show, but it desperately needs an ending. While there is a lot of material in both book 4 and 5, a lot of that material is rather poor. GRRM needed to make hard decisions on how to end the story and obviously chose not to make those decisions, so it ended up as a meandering story with a lot of filler. Most of the material, characters, and storylines of the last two books should have never made it to the page,

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11 minutes ago, Lovely Lyanna said:

I think that it needs to be wrapped up in both book form and the show as well. I like and enjoy both the books and the show, but it desperately needs an ending. While there is a lot of material in both book 4 and 5, a lot of that material is rather poor. GRRM needed to make hard decisions on how to end the story and obviously chose not to make those decisions, so it ended up as a meandering story with a lot of filler. Most of the material, characters, and storylines of the last two books should have never made it to the page,

we'll see. I personally enjoyed books 4 and 5 and see them largely as setup for the endgame rather than filler: Subtle moves that don't seem important, but with big consequences. Nevertheless they are extremely difficult to adapt for TV because they are all setup and so little action. Season 5 raced through, and season 6 will still cover some of the known material from those books as well as starting WoW.

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2 hours ago, Hippocras said:

we'll see. I personally enjoyed books 4 and 5 and see them largely as setup for the endgame rather than filler: Subtle moves that don't seem important, but with big consequences. Nevertheless they are extremely difficult to adapt for TV because they are all setup and so little action. Season 5 raced through, and season 6 will still cover some of the known material from those books as well as starting WoW.

This is essentially my feeling of those two books as well. I think they were difficult to adapt because of how they were written and the huge geographical areas involved would have made a very thinned out story for the show with characters only getting a few lines each episode.

But there was a LOT of material in them and S5 skipped through a huge amount to the extent they were almost just going down a checklist of key moments they thought were cool.

Those books I see as the calm in the middle of the series. You had the intro, then the massive war in books 3-4 and then you get this sort of eerie calm in the middle when you don't know which way it's going to go. You see things happening but don't really know their relevance yet and things you thought were settled are thrown in the air in the last few chapters.

I'd have liked to see S4&5 follow the books a bit better without too much fanfic stuff and then only once they ran out of books should they consider that route. I mean the whole Dorne nonsense was uncalled for, there was already plenty in the books they could have used, or just missed it out and had certain characters turn up with some dialogue to explain off screen goings on. That sort of thing worked in S1-2 when the budged didn't stretch so far.

Eight season gives space to breath a bit, wait for the next book for a better idea of the big picture. No need to rush things.

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I would like to see the Riverlands and the war ravaged Westeros from Feast of Crows - but we might see some of that this season. Looks like we are getting some kind of Iron Islanders plot out of book sequence, so it would surprise me if the Riverlands plot is likewise.

I don't think it's rushing things to tie it up in 7 seasons though. To the contrary, as above, I think if they don't push towards a really good end game, I think the show will lose steam. Everything has a shelf life and rather than try and milk it, as seems to be the modern way, I think that delivering an impactful ending right when everyone is most gripped is the best way to make something live on in peoples thoughts. It's always better to feel satisfied than full, or bored.

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7 minutes ago, ummester said:

I would like to see the Riverlands and the war ravaged Westeros from Feast of Crows - but we might see some of that this season. Looks like we are getting some kind of Iron Islanders plot out of book sequence, so it would surprise me if the Riverlands plot is likewise.

I don't think it's rushing things to tie it up in 7 seasons though. To the contrary, as above, I think if they don't push towards a really good end game, I think the show will lose steam. Everything has a shelf life and rather than try and milk it, as seems to be the modern way, I think that delivering an impactful ending right when everyone is most gripped is the best way to make something live on in peoples thoughts. It's always better to feel satisfied than full, or bored.

No, it really simply doesn't work in seven seasons and it isn't going to happen. D&D directly said as much, and it is frankly quite obvious that there aren't enough episodes. I think people are wrong to believe the quality will go down with 8 seasons. In fact 8 seasons lets them pace the final two seasons more carefully and include better development of key events.

Season 6 will take us to the following points:

1. Battle for Winterfell, near end of season 6. This takes place near the beginning or middle of WoW, not later. It also includes Littlefinger's move on the North and Sansa's emergence as a player which is WoW material.

2. Dany's Dothraki adventures, at least half of season 6. This is all WoW so new material.

3. Tyrion in Meereen, much of season 6. This is modified, but likely covers the release of the dragons, the dragon horn, escalation of the situation with the Harpy, and Dany's return to Meereen or reconnection with Tyrion elsewhere. So part old part new material.

4. The Lannister/Tyrell/Martell escalation and Sparrow coup. Also modified as the book version has much to do with Aegon who is unlikely to be in the show. This is all new.

5. Arya's training and possible return to Westeros. Most of this is modified old material with the exception of the show version of the Mercy chapter which is early Winds.

5. Riverlands. This is mostly known material that was skipped over previously: Jamie and the siege of Riverrun, encounters with the BWB, Meribald. Return of Sandor.

6. Oldtown. This is almost entirely known material. Sam touches down in Oldtown just barely, then heads to Horn Hill so we can meet his family and settle Gilly. Euron moves towards Oldtown end of season, actual attack will be season 7.

7. Iron Islands. Entirely known material that was skipped previously: Balon's death, Euron's return, resistance to Euron's rule by Yara and Damphair, assault on the Reach.

8. Wall? We might get the WW arrival end of season, or even the fall of the Wall maybe. We can count on some kind of ominous WW action anyway.

So end of season Dany still has not arrived in Westeros though she might be on her way. Starks may have defeated the Boltons but they will have their own internal family dynamics still to resolve as well as figuring out what to do next. A war between Euron and the South will have barely begun, we won't have seen anything about what really happens at Oldtown, and in general we still won't have a clear picture of what the final war(s) look like. That leaves far too much for only 10 episodes of a 7th season to cover.

 

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We already saw the battle for Winterfell in Season 5 - that was it, Stannis defeat. I doubt it will be any different (overall) in the book There isn't going to be another battle for Winterfell, just John leading the dead to slaughter the Boltons - not really a battle.

Why so sure Sandor will return? His arc is complete - he doesn't need to come back. He died in the show and is at peace in the book.

Seriously, when we move into the end game, it's not going to take seasons to show it. Blackwater Bay only took 1 episode and that was mostly talking. Once things heat up and the reveals and action occurs, trying to space it out will make it boring.

When the wall is down and the dragons are in Westeros, it's only going to take about 2 visual hours to wrap things up. There wont be much time for dialogue when the carnage starts.

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2 hours ago, ummester said:

We already saw the battle for Winterfell in Season 5 - that was it, Stannis defeat. I doubt it will be any different (overall) in the book There isn't going to be another battle for Winterfell, just John leading the dead to slaughter the Boltons - not really a battle.

Why so sure Sandor will return? His arc is complete - he doesn't need to come back. He died in the show and is at peace in the book.

Seriously, when we move into the end game, it's not going to take seasons to show it. Blackwater Bay only took 1 episode and that was mostly talking. Once things heat up and the reveals and action occurs, trying to space it out will make it boring.

When the wall is down and the dragons are in Westeros, it's only going to take about 2 visual hours to wrap things up. There wont be much time for dialogue when the carnage starts.

Well if the rumors of the Battle of the Bastards can be believed, I'm pretty sure we'll see a Jon/Wildling army try to liberate Winterfell from the Boltons. There's also a leaked photo from set of Kit Harington in Stark attire, so that also leads me to believe that he won't be resurrected by NK. 

And I would disagree that Sandor's arc is complete. He's not at peace. He "died" still resentful of his brother. I don't 100% buy into Cleganebowl, but I'm beginning to accept the fact that there's a good chance it'll happen.

And I do agree that visual action will be a lot shorter than mostly talking. But if you look at episodes like "Blackwater" and "The Watchers on the Wall". Combined, those are two hours of action. Now, I know both of those episodes had a good amount of setup for about the first half of the episode, but I think it struck a good balance. If they only do 7 seasons, they're gonna need most of the season to have those types of episodes, and they'll be cutting down on the talking and exposition. But I think if they did that, it would ultimately lose its value and HBO will win their gore trophy. If it's done in 8 seasons, they'll just have more time to balance things out.

The last season, whether it be seven or eight, will not just be one big battle the whole season. There's gonna be a lot of war going on in the south w/ Lannisters/Tyrells/Martells/Greyjoys while the North is preparing to repel WW. And my prediction is that when Dany swoops in, she won't even know about the WW threat until the Northern Army ride south. And at that point, Dany will have complete control of the South. But for all of that to happen, we need more than just 10 episodes because I'm quite sure, none of that will happen in season 6.

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4 hours ago, ummester said:

We already saw the battle for Winterfell in Season 5 - that was it, Stannis defeat. I doubt it will be any different (overall) in the book There isn't going to be another battle for Winterfell, just John leading the dead to slaughter the Boltons - not really a battle.

Why so sure Sandor will return? His arc is complete - he doesn't need to come back. He died in the show and is at peace in the book.

Seriously, when we move into the end game, it's not going to take seasons to show it. Blackwater Bay only took 1 episode and that was mostly talking. Once things heat up and the reveals and action occurs, trying to space it out will make it boring.

When the wall is down and the dragons are in Westeros, it's only going to take about 2 visual hours to wrap things up. There wont be much time for dialogue when the carnage starts.

You really haven't been following the filming of S6 have you. The Battle in the snow filmed in the autumn took 7 weeks, it's the single biggest battle the show has shown so far, hundreds of extras, multiple sides. It's certainly not some mopping up operation, with Jon leading the dead (WTF!?!?!?).

As for Sandor, well as I said you haven't been following the filming of S6.

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Here is the last news item, Jan 17 2016 about season 8.

Season 8 ?

Actually even tho season 7 contracts have been signed season 7 has not been officially green lighted, but that seems to be just a formality.

If there is a season 8 should be news about contracts sometime soon..

This may be a matter of a business decision. Time Warner who owns HBO was a bit off last year , so was HBO. GoT was a still a big hit. HBO is still trying to figure out how to capture revenue from it and stop leaking to piracy.

Also HBO does not have a new Buzz Show right now, it looks as if Vinyl may crash and burn, Westworld seems to be in limbo , they suspended production and seemingly not started again.

GoT is an anomaly for HBO it looks as if it may get even more popular this year, if they can make money from it Time Warner may be the one who wants more seasons. D&D had been saying at one time 7 seasons that's all, but last year changed to saying '7.5' and maybe 8. They did say they would under no circumstances 10. However they are open to a 'movie' , what ever that means. I think the whole situation is in flux.

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Yes, there were several hints about Sandor:

Spoiler

A Rory sighting, a Septon Meribald/Elder Brother character, a scene set in a graveyard...

And there's every indication he's not "at peace" on the QI. The term the book used was "at rest" and the EB said Stranger has his nature, and he's kicking, he's resisting their efforts to cut and polish him into Driftwood, there are many such hints in the chapter like that. And there are many hints connecting Sandor to Sansa, people thought he had her with him, that wasn't an accident of the author to add that. And Sansa is remembering him, over and over and over again, in very significant ways, she's made up a kiss, and she's bummed that he left her: As the boy's lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak.

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On 16 February 2016 at 2:21 PM, Lordsteve666 said:

I thin HBO execs wanted more than 7 seasons and the possibility of a prequel series as well. But it was only mentioned once as far as i'm aware and it was only in the sense that it was what they would "like" rather than what "will" happen.

As for D&D, I personally think they stumbled on something big and got big bucks to play with it and make it a massive hit. But then they realised it was going to take years and would be a lot more complex than the fast cash grab they wanted so they dumbed it down and condensed it, hence why we are now racing ahead even if you ignore the next book not being out yet. They cut out a shit load of good content from the last couple of books just to get to their big "wow" scenes, I think it's down hill from here on unfortunately.

And even though the Ds said they wanted 7, and even mentioned, '7 kingdoms, 7 gods, 7 seasons, it feels right', and that there is enough story for more but they didn't want to treat it as a cash cow (they used different words), it seems they're now willing to go at least 8. 

And then... What to do now? They've cut so much stuff b/c they were only going to do 7, what a pickle! No, no worries, just bring back the stuff you'd chucked. Riverlands, Iron Isles, and the gods alone know what else. Who cares that it's 2 series too late to introduce those things? No one. With enough shocks and unexpected twists, including the now infamous characters' 180°s, no one will even notice it. :lol:

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1 hour ago, kissdbyfire said:

And even though the Ds said they wanted 7, and even mentioned, '7 kingdoms, 7 gods, 7 seasons, it feels right', and that there is enough story for more but they didn't want to treat it as a cash cow (they used different words), it seems they're now willing to go at least 8. 

And then... What to do now? They've cut so much stuff b/c they were only going to do 7, what a pickle! No, no worries, just bring back the stuff you'd chucked. Riverlands, Iron Isles, and the gods alone know what else. Who cares that it's 2 series too late to introduce those things? No one. With enough shocks and unexpected twists, including the now infamous characters' 180°s, no one will even notice it. :lol:

So very true. I worry that the extra time given to them (if it really is the case) will mean they bring back things that have been on the cutting room floor for 2-3 years because of lack of time/budget/space. And bringing them in now will be really out of order so the show could potentially end up a mess.

I think the pace they set in S1 & 2 was ideal really and if they'd kept that up for maybe 8 seasons, with some heavy edits for the material from AFFC & DWD to make it a bit more engaging it would have been good. I just see it as being sped up and rushed through S4&5 and now slowed down again as they find more time to play with. It's lead to some really odd story decisions and ended up with seasons being all over the place plot wise.

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