Game of Thrones is Ending 'At the Right Time'

Screen Rant

Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow in HBO's fantasy drama, says season 8 is 'the right time' to conclude the series.

Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington thinks the series is coming to an end at the perfect time for everyone involved. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had brought the critically-acclaimed fantasy drama to life on the small screen in 2011 - based on George R.R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire - and it has since become one of the most watched shows in television history, which is why the network is already contemplating ways to continue the franchise beyond the flagship series.

Unfortunately, for fans of the hit TV series, there are only six episodes left before Westeros (potentially) crowns its new king or queen; many of those episodes will reportedly be feature-length, running longer than the average one-hour airtime. And judging by season 8's filming schedule, which may already account for some production delays, Game of Thrones' highly-anticipated final season may not air until 2019. Still, when the time comes to resolve the game of thrones, the cast and crew will be ready to leave the series behind and move on to other projects.

In an interview with Digital Spy on the set of BBC One's Gunpowder, Harington said that he's ready to leave Jon Snow behind and move on. He said it feels like the right time for the story and for everyone involved, but that doesn't mean it won't be a heartfelt goodbye for the cast and crew, many of whom have worked alongside each other for several years.

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"Thrones is coming to the end at the right time for me, and everyone involved in it. I was exchanging emails with David [Benioff] Dan [Weiss] last night and we were all getting very soppy and emotional with each other. It will be liberating, just the thought of having a whole year free - you shoot for six months, but half of the projects you might want to do will have started shooting before that six months is over. There's a lot of things you can't do. I'm looking forward to finishing, and eight years is the right amount of time. I wouldn't want it to go on any longer than it has. I have other ideas I'd like to look at producing."

By the time Game of Thrones concludes, it will have been eight years since the series began, and that's plenty of time to tell the series' story. Aside from what Harington plans on doing with all his free time, what fans eagerly want to know is what ends up becoming of his character, Jon Snow, and the rest of the Westeros. Last season's story didn't exactly end in their favor, and with season 8 on the way, the network is trying hard to keep spoilers in check. For instance, the entire cast won't have access to the episodes' scripts this time around, thanks to the very public hack HBO went through earlier this year.

Although Game of Thrones is coming to an end, that doesn't mean series fans will have to leave Westeros behind for good. HBO has five spinoff shows in development, with the first potentially hitting screens shortly after Game of Thrones concludes. With regard to the flagship series, though, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.