George RR Martin thinks Game of Thrones could have lasted for five more series

“We could’ve gone 11, 12, 13 seasons" he told Variety. "David and Dan have been saying for like five seasons that seven seasons is all they would go. We got them to go to eight but not any more than that. There was a period like five years ago when they were saying seven seasons and I was saying 10 seasons and they won. They’re the ones actually working on it.”

But not to fear, there will be plenty more Game of Thrones to come. The author revealed that, “five other shows, five prequels [are] in development that are based on other periods and the history of Westeros — some of them just 100 years before Game of Thrones, some of them 5,000 years before Game of Thrones.”

Yet he also punched the breaks on the possibility that any of those prequels will focus on the current cast, saying that the actors will probably want to move on to other things.

“I know all of the actors, as great as they are, all the actors are anxious to get on and play other roles,” Martin said. “They don’t want to spend their entire lives playing one role and that’s fine, that’s great, we had such an amazing cast.”

Game of Thrones won big at the 2018 Emmys, claiming outstanding drama series alongside awards for its makeup, costumes, music composition and stunt coordination. Peter Dinklage also won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his role as Tyrion Lannister.

Game of Thrones series eight will air sometime next year