As part of Game of Thrones’s 10-year anniversary this month, HBO has cut together and recently released a trailer revisiting its polarizing final season, which aired way back in 2019. One pandemic later, that likely feels like a few centuries ago, but even fairweather fans and people who didn’t watch the series likely know that Season 8’s final six episodes got anything but a warm reception for a whole host of reasons. Check out the clip below to relive how the series wound up coming to a close.
Granted, the YouTube comments space are widely understood to be a free-for-all, but the reactions to this two-minute clip are less focused on the dramatic highlights and seem to have re-traumatized fans to the level that The Hollywood Reporter has both taken notice and compiled a selection of the most bitter reactions. The comments are pretty standard internet fare, but within 24 hours since the clip’s gone online, a growing consensus is rallying around a renewed demand for HBO to remake the final season. THR’s report has a pretty expansive breakdown on why that isn’t likely to happen.
While a remake may not be in the cards, what’s on the horizon instead is the franchise’s next iteration, House of the Dragon, which is expected to begin production this year. Creator George R. R. Martin, meanwhile, recently announced he’s working on a Broadway version of his fantasy epic that will “tell the whole story.”
Also on the horizon for the 10-year anniversary is a curated spotlight page on HBO Max with personalized content and curation of episodes rolling out over the month. Superfans and influencers alike will receive a “kit [to] aid their marathon-viewing experiences,” and later in the month, HBO will “surprise three couples who were married in Westeros-themed ceremonies with special anniversary gifts,” which will include “GoT-branded barrels of wine, custom chalices, and elaborate cakes.”
Warner Bros. and its licensing partners will also be making available for purchase a $2.22 million Fabergé egg with a miniature crown representing “the crown Daenerys would have worn had she taken the Iron Throne.” For the cheap seats, there will also be a line of Iron Anniversary IPA beers by Mikkeller, a line of Funkos, and a Game of Thrones: Complete Collection available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.
