'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Might Be Taking a Cue from 'Sherlock'

Each episode could run longer than 80 minutes.

The remaining episodes of Game of Thrones are at once a major point of anxiety and excitement for the many fans of the fantasy series. Everyone's dying to see Jon Snow team up with Daenerys Targaryen, to find out if he and Tyrion are Targaryens (probably!), to stop Cersei, and kill all the White Walkers (hopefully!). But no one wants to see the series end. And the number of remaining episodes are becoming fewer and fewer as both Season Seven and Season Eight will be shorter than normal. But, there's some new good news for anyone counting the remaining hours of Game of Thrones: The final season could be longer than we originally thought.

There's a bit of news out of the first Game of Thrones fan convention, Con of Thrones, which took place in in Nashville this weekend. As Deadline reports:

While the number of episodes has shrunk, with seven slated for the upcoming season and just six for the yet-to-be-produced final batch, Season 8, the length will likely move toward feature range of 80-plus minutes next season, according to sound designer Paula Fairfield. She said Season 7 episodes will be their customary hour-long duration, but the finale of Season 7 clocks in at 82 minutes. In Season 8, the episodes could be in the 80-plus-minute range of a feature film, as series like Sherlock and Black Mirror have done.

So we're essentially talking about a Game of Thrones movie every Sunday night for six weeks. We'll just go ahead and clear our schedules right now.

Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

Matt Miller

Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.