In just a few short weeks, HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones" will begin its fifth season. The premiere will air simultaneously in more than 170 countries and territories across the globe as a result of its immense popularity. However, HBO is beginning to look towards the end of this wild ride. There are currently plans for just two more seasons of "Thrones" and author George R.R. Martin - whose book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" the show is based upon - has plans for just two more novels. This all means that the show could very well end in 2017.
"This is the hard part of what we do," HBO programming president Michael Lombardo told Entertainment Weekly. "We started this journey with David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss]. It's their vision. Would I love the show to go 10 years as both a fan and a network executive? Absolutely."
Benioff and Weiss, the showrunners for "Thrones," have been told the broad strokes of Martin's planned ending for his popular series and have already begun to put that plan in motion.
"We see the light at the end of the tunnel," Benioff said. "We still have a long way to go and things to figure out, but we definitely know where we're heading and the major end-beats."
Those involved with the show, including Martin himself, have said that this season will feature the deaths of characters that are still alive in the novels. In addition, season five is expected to deviate from the books in several key storylines. But breaking this new ground could potentially lead to a longer stay for HBO's most watched series of all time.
"We'll have an honest conversation that explores all possible avenues," Lombardo said of continuing the show. "If they weren't comfortable going beyond seven seasons, I trust them implicitly and trust that's the right decision - as horrifying as that is to me. What I'm not going to do is have a show continue past where the creators believe where they feel they've finished with the story."
Fans may clamor for a spinoff show of sorts - think "Better Call Saul" or the upcoming companion series to "The Walking Dead" - or a feature film, but Lombardo says there are no such plans for either at this time.
"We want to go out on our absolute highest note," he said. "We don't want people to finally see the end and say, 'Thank god that's over.' We know basically how many hours are left in this story. We don't want to add 10 hours to that. It's about finding that sweet spot so it works for us and for HBO and, most of all, it works for the audience."
"Game of Thrones" is expected to surpass the narrative timeline of "A Song of Ice and Fire" in the very near future. If there is additional story to tell, HBO could decide to extend the series and preserve the network's biggest cash cow. For now, though, let's all just enjoy season five, which will begin on Sunday, April 12.
