More stories from Westeros are still left untold. A series of spin-off shows will try to remedy that.
HBO's biggest show in the last 10 years "Game of Thrones" has recently started filming for its eighth and final season, which is set to air in 2019. With a handful of episodes left, HBO still plans to tell stories from Westeros albeit from a different focal point; enter spin-off shows based on George R.R. Martin's Westeros universe.
According to Variety, the chairman and CEO of HBO, Richard Plepler, who received an award at MIPCOM in Cannes this week, addressed what "Game of Thrones" fans can expect from the still-in-development-stage spin-offs.
The HBO executive didn't give a lot of specifics or timetables but during an on-stage Q&A session with Cynthia Littleton, he complimented the writers of the spin-off series.
"Other than to say it's a fantastic group of writers and talent, most of whom have lived inside the Thrones eco-system are very, very familiar with its intricacies," he said.
Plepler added that from what he's seen so far in terms of the writing output, he is very excited about the projects they will be moving forward with.
HBO has yet to release more information about the rumored spin-offs and which of these will go forward. Reports have it that the premium cable network has five groups of writers working on either the spin-offs or the other Westeros-themed content, in which the first script was just completed.
"Game of Thrones" and its spin-off shows are vital to the future of HBO from a business and profitability standpoint so it's no surprise that the network is looking at the positive side of venturing to other Westeros universe content from Martin.
"Game of Thrones" is slated to come back on the air in 2019, while the spin-off show will follow at some point after the show.
