Why Will ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 7 Be Shorter Than Previous Seasons?
Game of Thrones is set to head into its penultimate season this year, however, that season will be considerably shorter than previous years. Showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss broke the news last summer that Game of Thrones Season 7 will be just seven episodes in length, with Season 8 being even shorter at six episodes. But why exactly have the show’s producers and HBO taken the decision to shorten Game of Thrones in Season 7?
According to Metro, star Iain Glen, who plays Jorah Mormont in the hit fantasy drama has finally revealed why Game of Thrones Season 7 will be three episodes shorter than previous seasons. Glen confirmed that the show’s producers are taking the length of time it takes to shoot ten episodes to shoot just seven this year, saying “I think the scale and size of the set pieces, the world that is being created it’s just getting more and more extraordinary. They feel they need that time to shoot seven hours as opposed to ten.”
Game of Thrones Season 7 Expands the Show's "Size and Scale," Actor Says https://t.co/UsSPRPHmXo pic.twitter.com/vHXYfNX7ct
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) January 4, 2017
HBO typically films a ten episode run of Game of Thrones between July and December. However, Season 7’s production is currently running from September to February to make just seven episodes. That means roughly the same amount of time is being spent on a fewer number of episodes this year. Even more staggering is that by comparison, most television dramas with 22 episodes a season will produce a single episode in little over a week.
That being said, according to Entertainment Weekly, Glen didn’t rule out the possibility that one or two of those seven episodes could be longer than Game of Thrones‘ standard hour-long running time. That was similarly the case in 2016 with Game of Thrones Season 6. Later episodes in the season ran well beyond their hour timeslot, which was often necessary in order to allow for the scope of such episodes.
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Scottish actor Iain Glen is best known for his role as Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones. Glen’s character, loyal to Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, has so far managed to survive six seasons of Game of Thrones. However, with only two seasons of the show remaining, Ser Jorah Mormont faces little chance of surviving until the end. As to be expected, Glen didn’t give away any details around where Ser Jorah is heading in Season 7, after Daenerys sent him away to find a cure to the dreaded Grayscale at the end of Season 6.
Glen has a screen career dating back to the 1980s and in between filming episodes of Game of Thrones, is currently starring in British drama Delicious. In something of a change of pace to Game of Thrones, Glen plays Leo, a celebrity chef who had it all – a beautiful wife Sam, played by Emilia Fox, a thriving hotel business and a passion for food. However, Delicious follows Leo as he once again falls in love with his ex-wife Gina, played by Dawn French. The show airs on Sky 1 on Fridays in the United Kingdom.
HBO’s Game of Thrones will return later than its usually scheduled window in 2017, with a shorter run of just seven episodes. Finally, the show will conclude in 2018 with just a six-episode season. With that in mind, Season’s 7 and 8 of Game of Thrones are expected to move at a much faster pace than previous seasons, according to star Iain Glen.
[Featured Image by HBO]
