George R.R. Martin used to “beg” HBO to make more Game of Thrones

Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers is a new book by James Andrew Miller and it is a treasure trove of information about the pioneering network and some of its biggest shows, including Game of Thrones. Miller got interviews with some big names, including former HBO CEO Richard Plepler, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin, and Martin’s agent Paul Haas.

They’ve have a lot of interesting things to say, but let’s focus on some of their talk surrounding the show’s eighth and final season, which received a lot of pushback for feeling rushed.

According to Haas, Martin was pushing for more episodes…a lot more. In 2018 he told Variety he thought there was enough material to make 13 seasons. “George would fly to New York to have lunch with Plepler, to beg him to do ten seasons of ten episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience,” Haas remembered.

"[Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] were tired, rightfully so. They were done, and wanted to move on, so they cut it short and then negotiations became, how many seasons can we stretch this out? Because of course HBO wanted more."

How much longer should Game of Thrones have been?

Miller also talked to HBO programming president Casey Bloys, who “felt the final season delivered on its promise to fans, but more importantly it executed the vision for the finale that Dan and Dave had planned so carefully.”

That said, Bloys did understand the criticism that came after Daenerys Targaryen’s “turn to war criminal” in the final two episodes. “If there had been another episode or two, of course, that would have been helpful,” he said. “I would have taken two more seasons! But I do believe if you look at the totality of her arc over the series, as opposed to the final episodes, her turn was more than earned, and was planned.”

The question of “How much longer should Game of Thrones have been?” is one of the most hotly contested among fans. And to be clear, if you think it’s exactly the right length as is, that’s valid. Personally, I think a couple more episodes would have done a lot of good, although I have trouble seeing what additional seasons could have added, assuming they’d even be practicable.

But Martin, of course, would preferred more seasons, although he admits that might be because he wanted more time to finish the books. “I’m working on The Winds of Winter even now as I have been for the best part of a decade. And hopefully I’m going to get to that end soon and then people can argue about which ending they like better.”

Hopefully.

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h/t Insider