Game of Thrones Season 8 Shooting Multiple Endings

With Game of Thrones Season 7 bringing in record ratings for HBO, anticipation for the series’ final season is at an all-time high. Given that level of interest, it’s no wonder that The Morning Call reported (with quotes from HBO’s programming chief Casey Bloys) that the producers will go into Game of Thrones Season 8 shooting multiple endings in order to avoid definitive leaks of the conclusion.

“I know in ‘Game of Thrones,’ the ending, they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that nobody really know what happens,” Bloys said. “You have to do that on a long show. Because when you’re shooting something, people know. So they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that there’s no real definitive answer until the end.”

This is nothing new in television, of course. The famous Dallas arc “Who Shot J.R.?” shot several resolutions, while The Simpsons‘ parody “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” animated several different endings. AMC’s Breaking Bad and HBO’s The Sopranos also shot multiple endings for their finales. In the case of Thrones, even the main cast won’t know the true ending until they see it air.

It remains to be seen when Game of Thrones Season 8 will premiere, but it’s been previously reported that the series may not return until 2019 and with only six episodes, though they may all be feature length. Spin-off shows are also in development for HBO, which creator George R.R. Martin is working on with various screenwriters.

The series is based on the novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin. In Season 6, the TV series moved past the point where the books have stalled.

Returning series regulars on Game of Thrones Season 7 included Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Diana Rigg (Lady Olenna Tyrell), Sophie Turner(Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).

Additional returning series regulars this season included Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane),Hannah Murray (Gilly), Carice van Houten (Melisandre), Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand), Pilou Asbaek(Euron Greyjoy), Rory McCann (Sandor “The Hound” Clegane) and Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion).

The executive producers of Game of Thrones are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield; co-executive producers are Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, George R.R. Martin and Bryan Cogman; and producers are Chris Newman, Greg Spence and Lisa McAtackney.