'Game of Thrones' Author George RR Martin Wants $200 Million To Fund Epic Film For Finale
Just last month, HBO executives behind the hit fantasy series "Game of Thrones" declared that there were no talks at that time about a possible film finale. In a recent development, the series' co-executive producer and creator George RR Martin has confirmed that he is open to the idea as long as several requirements are met including a hefty budget of $200 million.
George RR Martin who is the author of the book series "A Song of Ice and Fire," upon which the hit HBO series is based, has declared in an interview with Irish publication Independent during the Neuchâtel International Film Festival that he would love to end the series with an epic film. Martin states that many factors would contribute before the dreams for an epic film could come into fruition and one of those factors and perhaps the most important would be budgetary concerns. Martin estimates that a hefty budget of about $200 million would be needed in order to properly execute what he envisions to be the perfect ending for the series.
HBO Reveals Game Of Thrones Future
Martin also shares that while the series is on a roll now after the end of the fourth season, the story has a long way to go and he expects it to last up to the seventh or eighth season. He says that the popularity of the show must be maintained in order to make the movie project a reality. While more and more fans have become hooked on the books and the TV series, some parts of the series have now delved into the fifth book while some story lines are just passing the third book. While the five books that are out so far have proven to be popular, it remains to be seen if upcoming installments of the book series will be just as engaging. The sixth book of "A Song of Ice and Fire," which is entitled "Winds of Winter" is set to come out sometime in 2015.
The TV series now enjoys a $6 million budget per episode but the large cast and the set requirements still leave Martin wanting for more and feeling restricted. He shares that several events in the books were meant to be longer and bigger events but he needed to cut them down in the series due to budgetary reasons. The large-scale "Battle at the Blackwater" in season 2 and the "Battle at the Wall" in season 4 were some of the most affected events. Martin states that in order for him to go through with the film project, he wants to be sure that his vision can be given justice and translated on screen exactly as he wants.