Game of Thrones prequel series being discusses by HBO, says network boss

'There are areas we are exploring, but I wouldn’t point to any one'

While the announcement that Game of Thrones will only have eight seasons came as no shock, almost every die-hard fan knew HBO would be looking into ways to continue the incredibly popular series somehow.

Author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series George RR Martin, on which the show is based, has hinted numerous times at a prequel series, saying at the Emmys: “I do have thousands of pages of fake history of everything that led up to Game of Thrones, so there’s a lot of material there and I’m writing more.”

Martin echoed his comments in a later interview, telling one publication: “There is certainly no lack of material. Every episode of The Naked City, one of the television shows I watched as a kid, ended with a voiceover: ‘There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them’.

“There are eight million stories in Westeros as well and even more in Essos and the lands beyond. A whole world full of stories…if indeed HBO is interested.”

Indeed, it seems HBO are very interested in continuing the series, the network’s programming president Casey Bloys confirming to EW they are in talks with Martin about a follow-up series.

“I would say it’s still kind of preliminary ongoing talks,” Bloys told the publication. “There are areas we are exploring, but I wouldn’t point to any one and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’”

When asked whether season eight of the series will only contain six episodes, as well as whether those last episodes will be shown in cinemas, Blys remained cryptic, neither confirming nor denying either question.

Meanwhile, numerous deleted scenes from season six were recently released online, one featuring a dig at the show’s critics. HBO has also recently announced a second season of Westworld has been commissioned.