In an attempt to combat leaks, HBO will shoot multiple endings for Game of Thrones’ series finale.
“I know in Game of Thrones, the ending, they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that nobody really know what happens,” said Casey Bloys, HBO’s president of programming (via The Morning Call). “You have to do that on a long show. Because when you’re shooting something, people know. So they’re going to shoot multiple versions so that there’s no real definitive answer until the end.”
The move comes after the series suffered multiple leaks last season. Season 7’s fourth episode, “Spoils of War,” was leaked ahead of its debut by an HBO distribution partner, while hackers uploaded draft scripts for five episodes of the hit series’ most-recent season before they aired.
This isn’t the first time a network has gone to such lengths to prevent leaks, as AMC did something similar with The Walking Dead’s Season 7 premiere.
Game of Thrones’ upcoming eighth season will be its last. Production is expected to begin next month and may run for as long as 10 months. While HBO has yet to announce when Season 8 will debut, an extended production period may very well push Game of Thrones’ final chapter into 2019.
Yesterday, HBO revealed Season 7 will come to Blu-ray and DVD on December 12, while the digital download will be made available later this month on September 25. For a limited time, the Blu-ray and DVD versions will include the Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms feature, which you can see a preview of in the video above.
IGN’s Game of Thrones: Season 7 review said it was both “helped and hurt by an accelerated pace.” With your Sunday nights now free, here are IGN’s recommendations for series you should catch up on.
Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter @jdsirani.
