Fans of "Game of Thrones" undoubtedly have noticed HBO's hit fantasy drama hasn't been formally commissioned for its final season. The simple explanation is that, despite previous assertions that Season Eight will consist of six episode, the cable network is not sure of the final episode count, which could conceivably be longer.

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“The only thing we’re working out is how many episodes [showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff] want to do,” Casey Bloys, HBO's programming president, told TVLine. “They’re still figuring it out because I think they’re trying to get a shape of the season.”

However, Bloys emphasized the needs of the story would be the key deciding factor to the show's eventual episode tally, which he "hopes" will exceed six. “[Weiss and Benioff] always do what they think [will yield] the best version of the show," he explained. "It’s all about how many they’re comfortable [with]. But I’ll always take more.”

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Based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” stars Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Maisie Williams. The seven-episode seventh season will air this summer.