'Game of Thrones' showrunners aren't interested in a prequel, though HBO might be

Culture

After another year of Emmys domination for Game of Thrones — HBO's drama now holds the record for most wins for a prime-time series — it's easy to forget that the series is coming to an end sooner rather than later. The show has two shortened seasons left — the next of which will likely miss the cutoff for next year's Emmys, so we'll have a new best drama winner for at least one year.

But given Game of Thrones' massive popularity, a spinoff seems likely, especially when you consider other popular dramas following suit (see: Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead spinoffs). However, if HBO decides to go this route, they'll need new showrunners.

Speaking with reporters after the Emmys, series co-creator David Benioff addressed his own interest in a prequel.

"You might want to ask George about that," Benioff said, in reference to Game of Thrones' source material from author George R.R. Martin, according to Entertainment Weekly. "It's a great world that George created. I think it's a very rich world, and I'm sure there will be other series set in Westeros, but for [Benioff and co-creator D.B. Weiss], this is it."

Martin, meanwhile, was happy to chime in on the possibility, noting that he has thousands of pages of Westerosi backstory that could be used in a potential prequel.

"Well, I do have thousands of pages of fake history — everything that led up to Game of Thrones — so there's a wealth of material there, and I'm still writing more," he said.

Martin has previously expressed interest in turning his Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas into stand-alone television movies, which is one potential avenue for HBO to pursue. There are plenty of other worthwhile spinoff ideas too, ranging from the events of Robert's Rebellion to anything led by noted 10-year-old badass Lyanna Mormont.

However, as Martin noted, he still has two more Game of Thrones novels to write that will (hopefully) take precedent, so don't expect official news of a spinoff from HBO in the immediate future.