Game of Thrones might finally be over, but its legacy in the television landscape will be felt for a long time to come — and we’re not just talking about the upcoming prequel series. HBO’s fantasy behemoth was one of the first TV shows to fully show how blockbuster storytelling can be achieved on the small screen, especially in its later seasons, where each episode had the running time and production budget of a feature film.
From the dragons and direwolves of Game of Thrones to the moody, Meryl-infused melodrama of Big Little Lies, TV shows are now able to attract the kind of budget (and star power) usually reserved for the big screen. And it looks like Apple’s sci-fi series See, starring Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa, and Star Wars spinoff show The Mandalorian are the latest projects to prove this new role. Both of these new shows are rumored to cost $15 million per episode to make: the same as each episode in the controversial eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.
“Disney has built intergalactic-desert landscapes for the Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian, whose cost for an episode approaches $15 million, according to people familiar with the matter,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “In the case of Apple’s See, the cost has neared $15 million for each roughly 60-minute episode, according to a person familiar with the matter. That is more than the cost of a typical independent feature film.”
According to Variety, See, which will stream on Apple’s new TV service, has been described as an “epic, world-building drama” set in a future where humanity has lost the sense of sight. Momoa will play Baba Voss, a “fearless warrior, leader and guardian” — which doesn’t sound too far out of the actor’s wheelhouse. The Mandalorian, which stars Pedro Pascal (another Game of Thrones star who got killed off too soon), will stream on the Disney+ platform.
