HBO’s top executives recently reassured nervous fans that “Game of Thrones” won’t be treated like “Deadwood” — a serialized fan favorite that was canceled without an ending.

“We told [author George R.R. Martin] we’d go as long as he keeps writing,” said HBO co-president Richard Plepler.

“I hope it lasts for 20 years,” says HBO programming president Michael Lombardo of the show. “I promise you we won’t stop it before it’s ready to stop … There’s a great relationship fans have with the show and we appreciate that. We’ve never seen people get so excited about casting [decisions].”

Worried about the possibility of it finishing in the middle of Martin’s saga? Don’t be. “Nor do we expect it to,” according to Plepler.

This of course doesn’t mean HBO has the future set in stone especially as to who’ll play Victarion just yet.

“I don’t know where the show ends compared to the books,” Lombardo added. “We’re doing this without any predetermined number of seasons.”

Lastly, the executives also addressed the issue of just 10 episodes per season.

“The challenge on a show like Thrones is if we could do 12, we would… To produce those shows in the time they have, there’s no way they could physically do more than 10 than for without diluting the quality of the execution.”

Source: EW