Roland Emmerich confronted David Benioff about the ending of Game of Thrones

Is there any sorer subject than the ending of Game of Thrones? Despite being one of the most popular shows of all time, the show’s finale left a bad taste in many viewers’ mouths, so much so that a petition was even started to remake the eighth season; it received millions of signatures. Obviously, that will never happen; more likely, it was just a way for the many fans who were disappointed with the show’s final episodes to vent their frustration. After all, it’s not like they could tell the people behind Game of Thrones personally.

But for Roland Emmerich — who director behind movies like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow —  that is possible. Speaking to Collider about his new movie Moonfall, which stars Game of Thrones alum John Bradley (Samwell Tarley), Emmerich revealed that he was a fan of the show…but not of the ending.

He also just so happened to have the chance to talk to Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff about it in person. “I know David really well, so I said, ‘What the f—k?’,” Emmerich remembered.

While the Moonfall director didn’t share Benioff’s response, he did go on to describe some of his specific issues with the final season. “I mean, why did this kid who didn’t have anything to do with this whole thing like ends up on the throne? I have no idea.”

The fact that Bran Stark ended up ruling Westeros by the end is something that many fans complained about, despite it reportedly being one of the few plot points for the ending that came directly from author George R.R. Martin. Like so many other issues in the final season of Game of Thrones, it probably came down more to the delivery than the actual plot beat itself, since if the show had taken the time to explain stuff like Bran’s ascension and Dany’s heel turn more thoroughly we probably all could have stomached it better.

Roland Emmerich has plans for a Moonfall trilogy

Meanwhile, Emmerich’s new movie Moonfall, is coming to theaters on February 4, and it looks like a pretty fun space-action romp. In the movie, we discover that the moon is actually an artificially-constructed satellite that goes off the rails and plummets toward the Earth. John Bradley plays a conspiracy theorist who catches on to what’s happening. The movie also stars Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson. All in all, it looks like a good time, and exactly the sort of popcorn flick you might expect from the director who brought us Stargate and the 1998 Godzilla.

But why have one movie when you can have three? Emmerich has plans for Moonfall to play out as a multi-part story, as is the rage these days. “I tried this time to make this a trilogy, but I am not sure even if I want it anymore,” he said. “I think if I do a sequel, I will make it a little bit more like the original Star Wars, the second one will have a huge cliffhanger. Because that’s totally lost on people. Everything always has to be clean cut. Why not leave them hanging and say, we left you hanging see the conclusion, in two years. That’s what I kind of would like to do, but I don’t know if it will ever happen.”

Whether or not we ever see a Moonfall sequel, we can still enjoy the first film for what it is. Moonfall is out exclusively in movie theaters on February 4.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels