This past weekend in Nashville the first ever ‘Game of Thrones’ fan convention was held, somewhat cleverly titled the ‘Con of Thrones,’ which spent the week building up much anticipation for the return of the show later this month on July 16th. Among the many panels and fun events, not many spoilers or clues were given about the upcoming season or what fans could expect from the plot or fates of some of their beloved characters (it did not help that few current cast members could attend as they are currently out promoting the new season). However, as always, some new and interesting facts and rumors did manage to come out regardless.
According to sound designer Paula Fairfield, there is a good chance that Season 8 episodes of the show could end up being close to feature length, much like what they are going to do this season with the final episode, which will clock in at around 82 minutes. Shows like ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Black Mirror’ over on the BBC have clearly demonstrated that American audiences are very open to sitting down and watching a series for that length of time, especially for an event show like ‘Game of Thrones.’ Thi is something that has been speculated about ever since they announced the fact that the final season would only have six episodes. Of course, previous rumors were shot down by HBO and the showrunners who claimed that if they had that much content they would have just made more episodes, but that is not always the case. More episodes mean more plot and story, longer episodes mean they can spend more time on action and battles and on character moments, which is really what we want to see this close to the end, especially if some of our favorites end up dying. I certainly don’t want any character who has managed to survive this long to die suddenly and without some significant screen time to give them a proper send-off.
What are your thoughts here? Do you think we might actually get six 80+ minute episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’ for Season 8? Or could this just be another rumor that will get shot down? Feel free to share your opinions and hopes for the final season of the show in the comments below!
Source: Deadline
