Game of Thrones 2017 preview: What’s on the way this year

Beyond Season 7

Game of Thrones Season 7 is next on the horizon, but the production is already thinking about Season 8. According to HBO programming president Casey Bloys, it’s still unclear exactly how many episodes will be in the show’s final year—originally, the word was that there would be six, but Bloys “hopes” the showrunners deliver more. The uncertainly is why Season 8 hasn’t been officially announced yet, although there’s no doubt it will be.

Also on the table: Game of Thrones spinoffs. Right now, nothing official is in the works, but Bloys has said, “We’d be foolish not to look at it.”

"A prequel feels like it has less pressure on it [than a spin-off]. [Author George R.R. Martin’s history of Westeros] 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."

What are you most excited to see in Season 7, or beyond? Any theories you’re hoping pan out, or don’t pan out? We’re all waiting together now. Game of Thrones is coming.