HBO boss responds to petition to remake Game of Thrones’ final season

Game of Thrones came to an end earlier this year, with the final season proving to be very...divisive.

Some people loved it. Others thought it was OK. And there were some fans who disliked it so much they signed a petition calling for the final episodes to be remade with "competent writers". The petition gained a lot of traction - getting more than 1,600,000 signatures at the time of writing. HBO president Casey Bloys has now responded to the petition,  maintaining that the idea of reshooting the final season wasn't "something we seriously considered". Speaking at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour on Wednesday, he said [via Variety]:

“There are very few downsides to having a hugely popular show. One I can think of when you try to end it, many people have opinions on how to end it. "I think that comes with the territory. The petition shows a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the show but it wasn’t something we seriously considered. I can’t imagine another network would.”

Bloys added that HBO had had a "minimal" input into the final season, explaining:

“When a show is in its sixth, seventh or eighth season, by that point there’s usually a rhythm between showrunners and the network as to what they expect."

He also gave fans an update on the not-yet-titled Game of Thrones prequel series - and it looks like it's some good news.   He added:

“Shooting has wrapped, it looks really good. The cast was amazing, Jane (Goldman) and SJ (Clarkson) are busy in the edit bay."

Earlier this month, Game of Thrones' final season set a new record as the 2019 Emmy nominations were announced. Thrones received an incredible 32 nominations, which led HBO to have the most nominations by any platform this year. The network has a total of 137 nominations, while Netflix is in second place with 117. The 71st Emmy Awards will take place on September 22, and you can find the full list of nominees here.