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This Season Of 'Game Of Thrones' Is Set To Change TV History

This Season Of 'Game Of Thrones' Is Set To Change TV History

The final season will be bigger than ever before, with longer episodes and a higher production cost

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is set to hit screens in just a few short months, with HBO finally confirming that its due to air in April next year.

Although plot details are scarce at the moment, one thing we do know is that the next season is set to be the biggest yet, with each episode set to be 'longer than 60 minutes' and costing the network at least $15m (£11.7m) each, according to Variety.

If the report is true, it will be the most money spent per episode of any TV show ever, followed by Netflix's The Crown, which reportedly splashes out $10m (£7.8m) - the same amount spent on each episode of GOT season seven.


The rumoured $15m (£11.7m) for each episode adds up to an eye-watering $90m (£70.2m) across the entire eighth season, an unreal amount of money, but something that would seemingly mean fans are in for an absolute treat.

And it's not just the budget that's been boosted, the length of each episode is set to get longer.

In a Reddit AMA director David Nutter said: "Season eight episodes will all, I think, be longer than 60 minutes. They'll be dancing around the bigger numbers, I know that for sure."

This has prompted some fans to suggest that some episodes will be feature length - or at least match the 80-minute duration of the season seven finale.

Speaking to Huff Post, Nutter also promised viewers that they'll be 'satisfied' with the ending.

"All I know is that David and Dan spent a lot of time to tell the story in a proper fashion," he said.

"And the audience will be completely satisfied. Not everybody will be satisfied, but I feel the audience will be satisfied with the direction the series goes. It lives up to all the building it's coming to, I promise you that."

HBO president Casey Bloys said the reason for this season's later-than-usual release was purely because of the amount of work going into it.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he explained that it was they were waiting for showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss to be finally happy with the product.


via GIPHY

He added: "Here's what I'll tell you: they take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality. As the show has gone on, it's gotten bigger - big battle scenes, big special effects.

"These things take time. Here's the one thing I can assure you: Dan and Dave were not sitting around on a beach waiting to go back to work. They're perfectionists and this is the soonest it can come back at a level of quality that they are comfortable with."

Who lives? Who dies? We don't yet know, but Peter Dinklage (better known as Tyrion Lannister to GOT fans) has warned viewers that an epic battle scene in the new season will 'make the Battle of the Bastards look like a theme park'.

OK, so who else is stupidly excited for April, then?

Featured Image Credit: HBO

Topics: TV and Film, HBO, US Entertainment, Game of Thrones