Game of Thrones has been quietly preparing for the ending for years without you noticing
Series finales are precarious. Pull them off, and you cement your show as legendary. Flub them, and your show may be soiled forever.
Praise the old gods and the new, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have been thinking about the end for a very long time. Entertainment Weekly talked with them about it a couple years back, around the time Daenerys burned down the Dothraki temple in season 6. By then, the two had decided the fates of every major character. How were they laying the groundwork?
By this point, Benioff and Weiss were giving the actors directions to play their scenes without tell the actors why. The promise? “After Thrones is finished, fans will look back and see subtle hints that were dropped.” This is exciting news, particularly for those of us who like to pick apart each episode shot by shot.
Benioff and Weiss were also afraid that something might happen to one of the cast members between now and the endgame, or that they might decide to leave the show. “If something had happened to them, or if they decided not to do it anymore, to make movies, we would be screwed,” Benioff said. Whatever the ending has in store, everyone needs to be around for it.
RELATED PRODUCT
Colorado Rockies Charlie Blackmon Game Of Thrones Night's Watch Bobblehead
Buy Now!
Buy Now!
Beyond that, both showrunners talked about how satisfying it is to work on Game of Thrones, and how difficult. Benioff and Weiss have always been more hands-on than the average showrunner, not only writing most of the scripts but being on set making all kinds of difficult decisions. “If you’re going to spend 10 years working on one show, you better really love the people you work with, because you’re spending a sh—load of time away from your family and friends,” Benioff said. “You always put everything into it. So to spend time on a show that people respond to all over the world, it’s incredibly gratifying. You have these characters you love and you can come up with ideas for them, and a few months later these incredible actors will be saying those things. That’s such a rare gift.”
Weiss, meanwhile, contemplated what the end of the show will mean for his life:
"If 10 years ago somebody had given me a chance to write a ticket, I wouldn’t have been crazy enough to write a ticket to something this great. I just think about how bizarre it will be to not be doing this anymore, because it becomes the water you swim in. It becomes every minute of every day, 365 days a year, this show is on your mind or in your life. After it’s done, it will be like re-entering some weird universe where I don’t even know how people act there anymore.… When I’m 75 years old, I’m going to be [affecting a quivering, elderly voice], ‘You know, it would be great if Tyrion said… Ah, goddamn it!’"
This interview comes as a massive relief. It’s always comforting to know that a series isn’t simply scrapping together an ending because they have nowhere else to go. God forbid that Game of Thrones goes out like Lost.
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Check out Game of Thrones swag at Entertainment Earth.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels