With only two seasons left of the highly acclaimed series, Game of Thrones, this terrifyingly beautiful show finds itself barreling towards a climactic finale that is sure to leave the media reeling and fans breathless with its spectacular fanfare. Fortunately, it seems now that this doesn’t mean the end of Westeros for fans. While previous interviews with HBO execs have revealed the showmakers were playing with the idea of a spin-off series or a prequel, it seems now that they are pushing harder than ever to make one of those options a reality, leaning more towards the prequel option.

Programming director Casey Bloys spoke with Entertainment Weekly regarding the extension of the show and voicing his thoughts on the matter. He stated that it would be “foolish” not to explore further into the world George R.R. Martin has created, though he feels strongly that a prequel is the smarter route to take.

A prequel feels like it has less pressure on it [than a spin-off]. [George R.R. Martin] gives you areas in which to say to a writer, ‘If you were going to do this, then go flesh it out,’ and we’ll see what comes back. But I don’t feel any pressure that we have to have something.

While showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss haven’t made much comment on the prequel-spinoff option, this seems to be the direction HBO is planning on going in the near future, once season 8 has reached its end.

Speaking of season 8, Bloys also went on to talk about the length of the final season. While it is confirmed that the series will be capping off at the projected 70-75 hours the show makers thought, it’s still not clear exactly how many episodes will be aired during the final season. Previously, it was assumed that the episodes would be broken up as seven episodes for season 7, and six for season 8. However, this has not been confirmed by HBO or Bloys just yet. “They’re still figuring out the shape of the season, what they want to do,” he said. “I’ll take as many as they want to do. If they give me eight, I’ll want 10. But it’s really up to them. They’ll let me know.”

With the culmination of this epic story drawing ever closer to an end, fans have been on the edges of their seats waiting for the next episode to continue this tale for as long as it possibly remains on the air. As of right now, fans are going to have to wait a little longer as season 7 will not be premiering until the summer due to the need to film more wintery scenes for the season. Until then, check back with us frequently as we follow the developments of this story and keep you informed of HBO’s final decisions for the end of this show.

What do you think of the possibility of a prequel series? Do you think this is a good idea on HBO’s part? Would you prefer to see a prequel or a spin-off series for the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!