'Game of Thrones' is renewed for a third season

A third season of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' is planned after breaking records in the Season 2 premiere.

George R. R. Martin’s epic tale about the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros will be continuing on HBO, as the network announced today that it has picked up Game of Thrones for season 3.

Coming hot off the heels of the Game of Thrones season 2 premiere, which garnered record ratings for the series, HBO took no time re-securing David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ adaptation of one of the literature’s most epic novels.

Here’s what Michael Lombardo had to say about Game of Thrones season 3:

Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss raised our expectations for the second season – and then surpassed them. We are thrilled by all the viewer and media support we’ve received for the series, and can’t wait to see what Dan and David have in store for next season.

After Game of Thrones season 2 premiered to 3.86 million viewers (which is 1.64 million viewers more than the series premiere), fans of the show knew that a season 3 renewal was just around the corner. And with Game of Thrones producers already planning out season 3, 4 and beyond, it’s likely that they felt the same impending renewal as the fans.

While the second season will cover the majority of the novel “A Clash of Kings”, the next in the series, “A Storm of Swords,” is too large to be adapted into a single 10-episode season. With the intent to split the books across Game of Thrones season 3 and 4, series creators Benioff and Weiss are attempting to figure out the best way to present George R. R. Martin’s goliath novels to television audiences.

And if the past is any sign of what’s to come, it looks like the fantastical tales of the characters of Westeros will continue to be faithfully adapted for the television screen for many years to come.

…Of course, a 50% bump in ratings for the season 2 premiere doesn’t hurt their odds, either.

Anthony Ocasio blogs at Screen Rant.