HBO’s teaser image for “Game of Thrones” season 7. Image: Facebook/@GameOfThrones
Season eight, the final season, for “Game of Thrones” (GoT) may be getting longer episodes to compensate for its fewer number of episodes.
The announcement was made during the first “Game of Thrones” convention, Con of Thrones, by sound designer Paula Fairfield, according to Vanity Fair.
To date, each GoT episode lasts for roughly 59 minutes. Most of season seven will retain this format, save for three episodes. Season eight may only have six episodes, but each will be feature-length at around 80 minutes long.
The length of each episode would still vary, but in total, the whole of season eight is estimated to be around eight to nine hours long. This is the typical length of a GoT season despite having fewer episodes.
Longer episodes were traditionally reserved to crucial narratives that represent turning points in the story, like in the “Blackwater” and “Battle of the Bastards” episodes. With the TV series nearing its end, the extra long episodes should allow for better storytelling of the finale. Alfred Bayle/JB