Game Of Thrones' sixth season is almost upon us, but there may not be as as much of George R.R. Martin's epic left as we thought. While the plan is still, as has always been mooted, to end at Season Eight, those last two blocks may contain fewer episodes than the usual ten. Specifically, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have said that, post-Season Six, there may only be 13 episodes to go.
"I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap," Benioff tells Variety. "That’s the guess. Nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at."
Why should this be? It sounds lke it has to do with the scale of what's to come. While the show has, at this point, gone beyond the novels that Martin has finished and published, Benioff and Weiss know how it ends, and feel that they can't fit a full ten episodes into their usually-alotted shooting schedule. "It’s crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule," says Weiss.
Conversations are ongoing, however, and this may be a bit of a negotiating tactic to get more time and/or money out of Thrones' home channel HBO. As their flagship show, we can't imagine they'll stint on its climax.
For more on Season Six, check out our definitive guide or pick up the current issue of Empire, on shelves and available digitally now. Game Of Thrones will be back simultaneously on HBO and Sky Atlantic on Monday April 25. Night owls (or ravens) can catch it at 2am, with a repeat showing at 9pm that night.