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George R.R. Martin: Game of Thrones could've had 5 more seasons

At the 2018 Emmy Awards, the fantasy author says he's all about the prequels now.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Cooper

Are you sad the HBO adventures of Jon Snow, Daenerys, Tyrion and the rest are coming to an end? 

As far as Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is concerned, "we could've gone to 11, 12, 13 seasons," the author said at Monday's Primetime Emmy Awards, where the show is nominated for 22 awards

"Ask David (Benioff) and Dan (Weiss)," Martin said, speaking of the showrunners and co-creators. "I guess they wanted a life."

"If you've read my novels, you know there was enough material for more seasons," Martin went on to say. "They made certain cuts, but that's fine, we have five other shows, five prequels in development that are based on other periods in the history of Westeros, some of them just 100 years before Game of Thrones , some of them 5,000 years before."

The show's upcoming final season will be its eighth. Martin said he'd hoped for 10 seasons, but Benioff and Weiss had said they'd end with 7, adding "we got them to go to eight, but not any more than that."

When asked by Variety if there's a character from the show he'd like to get a spin-off, Martin said he's ready to move on.

"I'm committed to these prequels," he said. "I think this story ends when it ends."

Fans should get to see that ending sometime in 2019.

Inside the workshop where Game of Thrones swords are made

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