As its popularity continues to soar so do its costs, which now stand at an unfathomable $10 million per episode according to Entertainment Weekly.
With its next cycle boasting a further ten episodes, season six will take charge with “somewhere north” of $100 million spent on production.
According to reports, Game of Thrones’ second season cost a massive $6 million per programme, which now seems like peanuts compared to its upcoming run ahead of its debut next month.
Show runner David Beinoff previously admitted pleading for more cash to create the spectacular battle scenes, which have become legendary in the so-called Golden Age of television; and it seems he got his wish.
As it stands, Game of Thrones is the most-watched programme in the world – both legally and illegally – and with HBO forking out what appears to be an infinite budget, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Little to nothing is known about the fantasy epic’s upcoming chapters, which will branch away form the George RR Martin novels for the first time.
However, actress Sophie Turner recently shed light on her character Sansa Stark’s journey ahead, revealing that the flame-haired heroine really “comes into her own”.
Sansa was last seen fleeing from her rapist husband Ramsay Bolton with the help of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), which the Northampton-born starlet has assured will be a complete game-changer.
“This is the season I’m most excited for. Sansa’a coming into her own and standing up for herself,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Finally people will see Sansa how I see her.”
Game of Thrones has recently come under fire from critics who claim the show is sexist, therefore Sansa’s new feminist-friendly attitude arrives at a crucial time.
“She, this season, really commands the respect that she deserves and she grabs hold of it and she runs with it and it’s really good,” the 20-year-old previously said at the SAG Awards in January.
Other stars from the fantasy epic have frequently discussed the depiction of women in the show, with many championing the characters for their authority.
Emilia Clarke, the actress who plays Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryen in the series, recently defended the show for having women “who are literally unstoppable and as powerful as you can possibly imagine”.
