‘Game of Thrones’ Creators Plan to Be ‘Very Drunk and Far From the Internet’ When Series Finale Airs

With the final season of “Game of Thrones” ready to debut this month, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have the near-impossible task of ending HBO’s fantasy blockbuster series on a note that pleases millions of fans across the world. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the two creators admitted they’re worried about letting fans down with the ending, even if they are fully aware that’s going to happen on some scale. To avoid the backlash, Benioff and Weiss already have set their plans for series finale night.

“We’ll be in an undisclosed location, turning off our phones and opening various bottles,” Weiss said. “At some point, if and when it’s safe to come out again, somebody like [HBO’s ‘Thrones’ publicist Mara Mikialian] will give us a breakdown of what was out there without us having to actually experience it.”

Added Benioff, “I plan to be very drunk and very far from the internet.”

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Series finales have been a make-it-or-break-it legacy-maker for both beloved shows and for the showrunners who executed them. The hugely divisive “Lost” series finale nearly ruined Damon Lindelof for a time, while David Chase is still forced to answer questions about his ambitious cut to black at the end of “The Sopranos.”

“We want people to love it,” Weiss said of the “Thrones” ending. “It matters a lot to us. We’ve spent 11 years doing this. We also know no matter what we do, even if it’s the optimal version, that a certain number of people will hate the best of all possible versions. There is no version where everybody says, ‘I have to admit, I agree with every other person on the planet that this is the perfect way to do this’ — that’s an impossible reality that doesn’t exist. You hope you’re doing the best job you can, the version that works better than any other version, but you know somebody is not going to like it.”

“A good story isn’t a good story if you have a bad ending,” added Benioff.  “Of course we worry. It’s also part of the fun of any show that people love arguing about it.”

“Thrones” begins its final season on HBO starting Sunday, April 14.