There was lots of "Game of Thrones" scoop during HBO's presentation Thursday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, including the revelation that there may be more "Thrones" on the way than initially expected.

The hit fantasy series, which just wrapped its fifth season, has been renewed through a seventh season by the cable network, and it was widely considered all but a done deal that that seventh season would be the show's last. Not so, said HBO programming president Michael Lombardo during Thursday's panel.

"Seven-seasons-and-out has never been the [internal] conversation," Lombardo told critics of the show's endgame. "The question is: how much beyond seven are we going to do? Obviously we're shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] feel like there's two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that's what we're looking at right now."

But that doesn't mean that "Game of Thrones" would leave HBO forever after season eight. There's always potential for a prequel series, too, the exec said, though nothing is set in stone just yet.

"I would be open to anything that Dan and David wanted to do, about 'Game of Thrones' or any subject matter," Lombardo said. " ... It really would depend fully on what they wanted to do. I think ... there's enormous storytelling to be mined in a prequel, if [author George R.R. Martin] and Dan and David decide they want to tackle that."

We'll have to see what Benioff, Weiss, and Martin have up their sleeves before we cosign on a potential prequel, but we're intrigued nonetheless.

Season six of "Game of Thrones" is currently in production. No word yet on a premiere date.

[via: Vanity Fair]

Photo credit: HBO