Game of Thrones showrunners were asked by AT&T to film episodes in a vertical frame

Season 8 of Game of Thrones is still a topic of controversy. Despite HBO’s profitable mint being off-screen for five years, talk about it hasn’t stopped. After all, the wildly popular and innovative show’s controversial and hastily produced final season divided its fan base. However, what AT&T, HBO’s former owners, had in mind would have definitely increased that hate by manifold.

AT&T wanted vertical Game of Thrones episodes for mobile phones

One of the most rambunctious plans AT&T wanted the Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss to follow was to change the frame of the episodes. The change would have been drastic, and would have turned the show into a laughing stock. According to WSJ,

“Benioff and Weiss, who have been friends since grad school, weren’t crazy about HBO’s then-owners, AT&T, whose executives once asked whether Game of Thrones could be shot vertically so it would fit on your phone. The company also openly discussed the idea of snackable mini-episodes of the series.”

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

Game of Thrones showrunner says “Dysfunction kills more projects”

Benioff and Weiss eventually worked their way around. Weiss observed, “Dysfunction kills more projects than anything else, whether it’s interpersonal dysfunction or institutional dysfunction.”

Benioff further added, “When you sign a five-year deal with a company, you want that company to be stable so you can be left alone to do your work and not have to worry about it being bought by the phone company. Finding the smoothest ride in the ocean was key.”

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