If the impending end of Game of Thrones has you deep in mourning, here's something to dull the pain. The final six episodes of the series may be much longer than those in previous seasons. In fact, according to sound designer Paula Fairfield, each episode of the final season of Game of Thrones may end up running as long as a movie.
The potential silver lining was discussed at this weekend’s Con of Thrones, self-described as the "largest-ever convention for fans of Game of Thrones." Fairfield reiterated that the season 7 finale hits the 82-minute mark and will go down as the longest Game of Thrones episode yet, Vanity Fairreported. Fairfield added that Season 8 episodes may follow the season 7 finale's lead, clocking in at "80 minutes or longer."
In theory, this means the final season—at least in terms of minutes—may not be that much shorter than a traditional 10-episode run. As previously announced, seasons 7 and 8 boast just seven and six episodes, respectively.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month, HBO programming boss Casey Bloys offered a few more details on the possible delay for season 8 and those much-discussed prequels. "They have to write the episodes and figure out the production schedule," Bloys said when asked about the final season possibly airing in 2019. "We'll have a better sense of that once they get further into the writing."
As for the prequel chatter, Bloys suggested fans not expect to see any of them on HBO anytime soon. "We want to focus on seasons 7 and 8," he said. "If any of these scripts come to pass, you're not going to see anything air anytime close to the season 8 finale."
