Well, that was fast. The future of Game of Thrones is looking far more evergreen than its ominous tagline "Winter is Coming" would have you believe.
Despite only premiering Sunday night to somewhat mediocre ratings, Deadline reports that HBO has taken the leap of faith by picking up Game of Thrones for a second season! The same move was made shortly after the premiere of Boardwalk Empire, which opened to slightly more fanfare.
As stated by series executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, the second season of Game of Thrones will likely pick up the story of creator George R.R. Martin's second novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series, "A Clash of Kings" (of course, retaining the GoT title).
Says HBO head of programming Michael Lombardo on the renewal, "We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin's amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers. This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership."
Premiere episode "Winter is Coming" only averaged 2.2 million viewers in its initial airing, lower than Boardwalk Empire's debut, but came in at 4.2 million with subsequent re-airings. With HBO investing $18 million in the pilot alone, a second season was "almost guaranteed" anyway.
What do you think? Was the war won with only one airing of Game of Thrones, or will viewer interest fade before "A Clash of Kings?" Charge into battle in the comments below!
And as an added bonus, check out this exclusive embed of Game of Thrones' epic title sequence, which will actually change and evolve as the series progresses!
