HBO Put to Rest Some Big Rumors About the Future of 'Game of Thrones'

We're getting close(ish) to the end of Game of Thrones. HBO eased our collective devastation when news broke that the network was working on a spin-off series, with a reported four scripts in the works.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, however, HBO programming president Casey Bloys has set the record straight about the future of the series, from Season 8 of Game of Thrones to what's actually going on with those four rumored prequels.

First of all, don't expect any new Game of Thrones series any time soon. Any spin-off that HBO does move forward with won't happen until the current show has ended.

"You're not going to see a situation where the next show in the Thrones universe launches off the back of this one," Bloys said. "The show that Dan and David have created will get its proper send off first. We wouldn't want to take away from that in any way...If any of these scripts come to pass, you're not going to see anything air anytime close to the season 8 finale."

And if that "if any of these scripts come to pass" line stuck out to you, it should have. Bloys has officially clarified that HBO is not planning to make all of those rumored prequels that are in development.

"In the press at large, everybody said, 'there are four spinoffs' and they assume that means each one is happening and we're going to have a new Game of Thrones show per quarter. That's not what's going on," Bloys clarified. He later added, "The idea is not to do four shows. The bar set by [creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss] is so high that my hope is to get one show that lives up to it."

That's fair. It is a high bar to clear. So will Benioff and Weiss be a part of the team looking to clear it? Not even a little bit. The creative team has declined to have their names associated with the new project(s) in any way.

"They feel if their name is on the prequels—even in a passive way—it conveys some sort of expectation or responsibility," Bloys explained. "They want to enjoy the show as fans and don't want to worry about the scripts or production issues. We were hoping to have their names on it out of respect for them, but we understand why they don't want that."

That's fair. Benioff and Weiss aren't the only pieces of the original GoT puzzle that won't be back for the prequels. Bloys says that because the potential prequels take place in "different times in the universe," none of the original cast members will return.

So will anyone associated with the original series be involved in the Thrones spin-offs? Yes. Bloys confirms that author, George R.R. Martin will definitely be involved in any new series in the universe that HBO develops, although his involvement in the early stages of the scripts may vary.

"The writers each have to decide how they operate with George," Bloys said. "Some like to collaborate, some look at the source material and do their own thing. There's no one way, but in all cases, George will be reading the scripts and weighing in."

So to recap: HBO doesn't plan to make four new Game of Thrones series, any new series they do make won't premiere until well after Season 8 of GoT, the original showrunners and actors definitely won't be involved, but George R.R. Martin will. Overall, it sounds like HBO is committed to doing things right with the original series and only expanding the universe if the right show comes along, which is a plan fans can definitely get behind.

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