If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Game of Thrones: AT&T once asked showrunners if HBO series could be shot vertically for cell phones

Game of Thrones? More like Game of Phones!

Game of Thrones actors looking at cell phone
Image credit: HBO

According to a new WSJ Magazine interview with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, weird pacing and strange lighting issues should have been the least of our worries when trying to watch Game of Thrones on HBO.

In fact - according to Benioff and Weiss, HBO's then-owners AT&T once asked them whether the flagship show could be shot vertically for cell phone watching. Apparently, they also considered mini versions of the episodes too - perhaps trying to go after the cell phone generation that short-lived streamer Quibi also chased.

In the interview, Benioff and Weiss, who now share that they had pitched three feature films as their conclusion to Game of Thrones, as opposed to what ended up being the highly panned final televised season, cited the instability of Warner Bros (Or as Benioff puts it, "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.") as the reason why they turned to Netflix for their next project, 3 Body Problem.

But what do we (and Benioff and Weiss) know? Perhaps a vertical Game of Thrones could have been a hit. Phone companies are famous for having brilliant ideas on what prestige television should look like. (Excuse my eyeroll)


Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.  

Tiffany Babb

Tiffany Babb: Tiffany Babb is a professional lurker (aka critic) who once served as Popverse’s deputy editor and resident Sondheim enthusiast.

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy