Game Of Thrones: HBO To Air Two-Hour Documentary After Season 8 Finale
The story won't stop after the Iron Throne is won.
HBO announced on Wednesday that a two-hour documentary will air following the final episode of Game of Thrones season 8. The fine folks at Deadline had all the juicy details.
Entitled Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, the feature-length doc is being billed as a "bonus" for longtime viewers of Thrones, and will serve as a sort of digestif after fans witness the beloved fantasy drama conclude its eight-season run on Sunday, May 19. The documentary, directed by British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay, will air on Sunday, May 26 — one week after the Thrones series finale — and give the world an in-depth look at the making of the final season, the sting of saying goodbye to the show after eight years, and the wonderful times the cast, crew, and creatives had while shooting the series that premiered on HBO in 2011.
"Much more than a 'making of' documentary, this is a funny, heartbreaking story, told with wit and intimacy, about the bittersweet pleasures of what it means to create a world — and then have to say goodbye to it," HBO explained in a statement accompanying the news.
HBO further described Game of Thrones: The Last Watch as an "up-close and personal report from the trenches of production, following the crew and the cast as they contend with extreme weather, punishing deadlines and an ever-excited fandom hungry for spoilers." The network added that Finlay — known for her British Independent Film Award-winning feature Orion: The Man Who Would Be King as well as Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth, Panto!, Sound It Out, Indietracks, and more — had "unprecedented access" behind the scenes of the notoriously secretive Thrones set, and she used the opportunity to her full advantage to create what's sure to be a captivating documentary.
Game of Thrones fans should revel in this news, as it means that they'll have another piece of Thrones goodness to sink their teeth in after the series airs the last of its six final episodes. Though each of the forthcoming episodes of season 8 could be films on their own (their runtimes range from 54 minutes for the premiere to 80 minutes for episodes five and six), they collectively make up the shortest season of Game of Thrones in history. After waiting well over a year between the end of season 7 and the start of season 8 and knowing that what's to come is the last chapter of Thrones for the rest of time, fans are likely itching to get their hands on as much content as they can. This documentary should satiate them post series finale and soften the blow of the reality that Thrones will never air another new episode after Sunday, May 19. (We're getting choked up just writing that.)
Game of Thrones: The Last Watch will premiere on HBO on Sunday, May 26 at 9 PM ET. Thereafter, fans can watch the documentary on HBO GO, HBO NOW, and HBO On Demand, as well as on streaming platforms with HBO partnerships and HBO subscription add-ons. Game of Thrones will return to HBO for its eighth and final season on Sunday, April 14, also at 9 PM ET.