#Game of Thrones on HBO Built on Lies, Showrunners Reveal

Game of Thrones may be over. 

With its expansive battles and stunning visuals, it really was one of the biggest shows around. 

But that was not the original pitch series showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff took to HBO. 

As such, the producers were hoping execs at the premium cabler did not read all of the materials to do with the novels before making a decision on picking it up. 

The pair admitted in the new behind-the-scenes book Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon “the show was exactly what we told them it wasn’t,” per The Independent. 

This is in relation to the epic battles and CGI of dragons that became a lot more prominent in the latter seasons of the show. 

“We knew most of the people making the decisions were not going to read 4,000 pages [of Martin’s books] and get to the dragons getting bigger and the [major battles],” Weiss added.

“We were banking on them not finding out until it was too late.”

The cabler was reportedly worried about spending a lot on a TV show that did not resonate with its viewers. 

For example, Rome had a budget of $100 million, and it was axed after a single season on the network. 

Taking risks on unproven series is difficult, especially when it means you could lose a lot of money in the process. 

Fortunately, Game of Thrones was a bonafide success for the cabler, becoming an enormous success around the globe. 

As such, the network is looking to expand the franchise, and has placed a series order for House of the Dragon, a series featuring the Targaryens, and of course, lots of dragons. 

Game of Thrones Season 8 did not meet the same success as the other seasons, but it was a valiant attempt at wrapping up a series that was watched by millions around the globe. 

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Remember you can watch Game of Thrones online right here via TV Fanatic. 

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.