'Game Of Thrones' New Contracts Cause Speculation Of HBO Series Ending After Season 7

In HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” the saying goes, “A Lannister always pays his debts.” Well, now the actors who play the Lannisters (and all the other main characters on “Thrones”) will be able to pay their debts, as well. HBO renegotiated the contracts of the show’s principal cast members to ensure everyone is locked in through a possible Season 7, giving them all raises and fueling speculation that a seventh season could be the last one for the popular fantasy series.

The new contracts make the main cast members of “Game of Thrones” among the highest-paid actors in cable television. The actors -- including Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) -- were previously signed through Season 6. Despite having not yet officially booked the show for a seventh season, HBO apparently wanted to make sure the cast was in place should it be renewed. And with “Thrones” currently the most popular show in the network’s prestigious history, it probably will be.

So would Season 7 be the last for “Game of Thrones?” It could be. There are currently five novels released in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin on which the show is based. “Game of Thrones” has adapted those novels at a rate of just over one novel per season. The most recent, Season 4, already dipped into the fifth book, “A Dance with Dragons,” so Season 5 will likely finish that book off. That leaves two more (still unreleased) books to cover in the show, and, at about the same pace, seven seasons might be all HBO needs.

Seven seasons would by no means be cutting the show short. In fact, it would make “Game of Thrones” one of the longest-running drama series in the history of HBO: “The Sopranos” lasted just six seasons, “The Wire” only five. For devout fans of the fantasy epic, however, it may never be enough. Season 5 of the series is set to premiere in April 2015.

Is seven seasons of “Game of Thrones” enough? Tweet your thoughts to @Ja9GarofaloTV.