As fans are hooked with HBO's top hitting series, "Game of Thrones," its lead stars get big rewards for their hard work. With "Game of Thrones" season 7 wrapping up, the television company is securing their cast for the final season.
The previous reported negotiation closed in 2014 had a $300,000 pay per episode for GOT's Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Nikolai Coster-Waldau, Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey as they approached Season 6. Along with this arrangement was the actors' approval to be open for HBO's decision in case they decide to go for a seventh season.
After airing the "Game of Thrones" Season 6 final episode last June, the showrunners are making sure they get all the cast members on the same page, especially in the possibility of creating the show's final seasons, 7 and 8.
News that major "Game of Thrones" cast members are to be given a huge salary raise this coming 2017 has also been circulating on the web. Specifically, Headley (Cersei Lannister), Harington (Jon Snow), Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister) reportedly will be taking home $500,000 per episode of the upcoming seasons.
Though the showrunners haven't given a definite answer on whether all the five characters are going to survive until GOT's endgame, the contact negotiations seem to give the audience a hint on whether they will be there for the finals. However, there are reports that the upcoming GOT seasons will be shorter than the previous ones.
As per TV statistics, GOT has stepped up to become the U.S.' seventh most watched TV show of the year. The record for having the highest paid actors for a TV series was way back in 2002. "Friends" stars negotiated a deal that reached $1 million per episode.
For "Game of Thrones" fans, the raise given to the cast members is well-deserved especially for a ratings juggernaut series like GoT. "Game of Thrones" season 7 is expected to be released in summer 2017.
