Game of Thrones is an adaptation of the epic dark fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire from writer George R.R. Martin and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The series airs exclusively on HBO and stars Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke. Season 7 strikes July 16, 2017 for seven episodes.
Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos Game of Thrones weaves several plot lines with a broad ensemble cast. The first narrative arc follows a civil war among several noble houses for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the attempts of the exiled last scion of the realm’s deposed ruling dynasty to reclaim the throne; the third chronicles the rising threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.
While speaking at SXSW, producer David Benioff confirmed that the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones (pending 2018) will only be SIX episodes long. Thanks to EW we have the following quote:
“It’s only going to be six episodes for the final season. From the beginning we’ve wanted to tell a 70-hour movie. It will turn out to be a 73-hour movie, but it’s stayed relatively the same of having the beginning, middle and now we’re coming to the end. It would have been really tough if we lost any core cast members along the way, I’m very happy we’ve kept everyone and we get to finish it the way we want to.”
As an added bonus, fans should be on the lookout for an Ed Sheeran cameo as it was confirmed at SXSW that the folk pop superstar will be appearing in season seven. Sheeran was last seen in another medieval drama epic (The Bastard Executioner) and did a great job playing a villainous prick on that short-lived series.