'Game of Thrones' Prequel: HBO Toying With Spinoff Possibilities After Season 8? [VIDEO]
Is a Game of Thrones prequel coming anytime soon? HBO is apparently entertaining the idea.
Game of Thrones is the biggest show in the world, with 170 countries reportedly watching. Yet, there are only two seasons left and HBO may be looking to expand the world further.
HBO original programming president Casey Bloys spoke with reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour recently about the possibility of a Game of Thrones spinoff or prequel and is giving fans of the series some hope.
"All I can say is that we're exploring it. We don't have any scripts, we're not even close to saying, 'Oh, let's do this,'" Bloys revealed. "But it's a big enough property that we would be foolish not to explore it. It's a really rich world. We'd be foolish not to look at it."
Bloys expanded upon this idea with Entertainment Weekly, saying that they will only do a prequel or sequel series if it feels right.
"We'll take some shots at it. I'm not going to do it just to do it. It has to feel very special. I would rather have no sequel and leave it as-is then have something we rushed out," Bloys explained, noting that a prequel is more likely than a spinoff set in the future.
"A prequel feels like it has less pressure on it [than a spinoff]," Bloys noted. "[George R. R. Martin's history of Westeros] gives you areas in which to say to a writer, 'If you were going to do this, then go flesh it out,' and we'll see what comes back. But I don't feel any pressure that we have to have something."
Game of Thrones is set to return for its seventh season in the summer on HBO, though a premiere date has not yet been announced. Season 7 will consist of seven episodes, a drop down from the usual 10, while season 8, the show's final season, is expected to comprise of six episodes.
