HBO In Negotiations for both Season 7 AND Game of Thrones Season 8

Last night, HBO took the floor at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, but there wasn’t much news about Game of Thrones Season 6. That unsurprising, considering that the network is in the precarious position of pretending a huge Season 5-ending cliffhanger hasn’t already been spoiled. Other than the press release confirming what we already could figure out from simple math—that Game of Thrones returns Sunday April 24th, after the run of the new series Vinyl concludes—nothing was said about it.

But once the panels ended and the HBO-sponsored after-party began, president Michael Lombardo found himself holding court with reporters over the network’s most popular show. The big news? That the network is currently “deep in talks” with Benioff and Weiss on not just a full Season 7 but also a full Game of Thrones Season 8.

Game of Thrones Marching Towards Season 8

At the last round of TCAs at the end of this past summer, Lombardo made huge news when he said that Game of Thrones would have an eighth season. But after many popular shows have stretched to an “eighth” season by splitting the final seventh season in twain (think Mad Men or Breaking Bad), many wondered if the “eighth” season would really be that. Or, if there was a full seventh season, they wondered if the eighth season would be smaller, with four or five very special episodes to close the series with a bang. But Lombardo’s statement made it clear: The show is not expected to do a partial season or split the final season into two parts. These will be full seasons. And just to tantalize us further, Lombardo would not confirm the Game of Thrones Season 8 will be the last one either.

That’s not only big news for viewers, that’s big news for the cast, who are currently only contracted through the end of a seventh season. Those who survive to an eighth season will probably be able to negotiate pretty sweet deals.

Next: Joining Game of Thrones is a dream come true for Pilou Asbæk