“Game of Thrones” will have four directors for its seventh season, lending credence to reports that it could feature fewer than its usual 10 episodes.
Leading the list is Alan Taylor, whose career was launched by the HBO franchise. The director last helmed the Season 2 finale, “Valar Morghulis,” and went on to direct two blockbusters, “Thor: The Dark World” and “Terminator: Genisys,” starring the mother of dragons herself, Emilia Clarke, as Sarah Connor.
Jeremy Podeswa and Mark Mylod both directed episodes in the most recent “Game of Thrones” season, while Matt Shakman is a newcomer to the series, with directing credits on such shows as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The Good Wife.”
HBO and “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have previously stated that the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series will probably end after Season 8. Sunday’s Season 6 finale broke the series’ TV ratings record.
For starters, the HBO epic scored a 4.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen’s live-plus-same-day metric. The show had hit a 4.0 twice earlier this season.
The drama landed 8.89 million total viewers on Sunday, also besting its former high-water mark. That sum was the Season 5 finale’s 8.11 million overall audience members.