Fans of Game of Thrones were shocked when the final two seasons picked up the pace, and many pivotal events felt rushed.
George R.R. Martin has been open in the past about thinking the show should have been told over a more significant arc.
According to a new book titled Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, Martin once tried to get the show expanded to 10 seasons of 10 episodes.
In the book, Martin’s agent Paul Haas revealed the author of the novels made his way to New York more than once to meet then-HBO CEO Richard Plepler to keep the show on the ar for longer.
“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, according to 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.”
In a blog post ahead of the Game of Thrones series finale airing, Martin revealed he felt “complex and a little sad” about the show ending with its eighth season.
“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,” Martin said in the aforementioned blog post.
“All of that is fair. I’m not angry or anything like that, but there’s a little wistfulness in me.”
Martin also felt like the cast and crew became an extended family while working on the show.
“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,” he added.
“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?”
While the main series concluded with many fans perplexed about how it was handled, the franchise is set to continue with the prequel series, House of the Dragon.
That show is set to launch in 2022, but HBO has yet to narrow down a premiere date.
What are your thoughts on the show NOT running 10 seasons?
Do you think it would have helped the ending?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.