We don't know how ready we are to talk about Game of Thrones spin-off ideas quite yet, given that the show is still more than a year away from finishing, but we all know that once those final credits roll on the last ever episode (sob) we will be chomping at the bit for any kind of spin-off we can get.

We already know that HBO are considering options for a prequel TV series, based on various aspects of George R.R. Martin lore - there's a lot of material there, in fairness - but fans will be happy to hear that there is an excellent team working on these ideas with the CEO of HBO, Richard Plepler, recently saying how excited he was about the new show.

While receiving an award at the Mipcom event in Cannes this week, Plepler also did an on-stage interview with Cynthia Littelton and confirmed that there are five separate teams working on the spinoffs.

Although he didn't share any specific details, he did say:

"No. Other than to say it’s a fantastic group of writers and talent, most of whom have lived inside the Thrones eco-system so are very, very familiar with its intricacies.

"I think we will find with this embarrassment of [writing] riches an exciting property for us to moves forward with... We are looking some things, I have read a couple of early bibles and I’m excited about what I’ve seen."

Now, of course, he has to be optimistic about the spin-offs ideas, but we are liking his enthusiasm and given how hugely successful and profitable Game of Thrones has been for HBO, no doubt they will be putting a lot of resources into trying to recreate the world of Westeros for another series.

However, while it's good to know that there are people working on it that have been part of "the Thrones eco-system", we do know showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss will have no part in it, but given that George RR Martin has created such an intricate and fascinating world, we're sure there is plenty for these teams to draw upon.

Before all that though, we still have the final season to watch, with the Game of Thrones cast beginning filming this week.

Via Variety