Game of Thrones has only 13 episodes left

The Game of Thrones is almost done, as the pieces start moving in earnest towards Westeros in pursuit of the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones season six just ended and it finally pushed things along in a way that previous seasons have seemed to avoid. Now that those elements are in play, it's time to rocket towards the finale.

We had previously heard that an agreement was made to end the series after the eigth season and that still seems to be the plan. We'd also heard that the last two runs could be shorter, with more packed into fewer episodes, and that has pretty much been confirmed.

Deadline chatted to series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss recently and they had a lot to say that's very spoilery if you click through the link. They've also talked openly abou the ending, and about going out on a high rather than lingering on too long:

Weiss: We want to leave while all the people watching this show are really into it. Get out at a high point and not have it be, well thank god that’s over.

Benioff: It’s two more seasons we’re talking about. From pretty close to the beginning, we talked about doing this in 70-75 hours, and that’s what we’ll end up with. Call it 73 for now. What Dan says is really true, but it’s not just trying not to outstay your welcome. We’re trying to tell one cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end.

So the end really is in sight, and it's going to come along even quicker than expected. Of course it's very likely that these will be longer episodes that we're used to and there's so much to pack in that they're going to feel extra epic. Still it's refreshing to hear creators talk about bringing a proper conclusion to a story, rather than trying to milk a property for all its worth.

Eight seasons is plenty of milking anyway, and HBO couldn't be happier with the result we're sure. Expect more new episodes in 2017.