Four ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spin-Offs In Development

Fans of the HBO phenomenon Game of Thrones may be able to explore the fictional world of Westeros a little longer than originally expected. While the eighth and final season is scheduled to air some time in 2018, HBO has already begun to develop four possible spin-offs.

While none are guaranteed, HBO released a statement discussing the possibility of the new shows.

“There is no set timetable for these projects. We’ll take as much or as little time as the writers need and, as with all of our development, we will evaluate what we have when the scripts are in,” the network said in the statement. If any of the spin-offs are given the green light, it would be the first spin-off in HBO history. Game of Thrones is the network’s most popular and successful show.

The scripts are expected to explore author George R. R. Martin‘s fictional world, beyond the characters he has already created. HBO has created a group of writers to start on the projects. Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Jane Goldman (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale), and Carly Wray (Mad Men) have started writing four separate scripts alongside Martin, who has yet to finish to the sixth book of his series and has fallen quite behind the TV adaptation.

David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the Game of Thrones show runners will most likely not have too active of a role in the new spin-offs. “Weiss and Benioff continue to work on finishing up the seventh season and are already in the midst of writing and preparing for the eighth and final season,” the statement read. “We have kept them up to date on our plans and they will be attached, along with George R. R. Martin, as executive producers on all projects. We will support them as they take a much-deserved break from writing about Westeros once the final season is complete.

Game of Thrones‘s seventh season is set to premier on July 16 and will be shortened to seven episodes – as opposed to the usual 10 episode season. Season 8, the final season, will have six to eight episodes and will most likely air in 2018.