'Entourage' ends next year, HBO says

Zap2it, Saturday, August 7, 2010, 5:59pm (PDT)

Vinny Chase, Ari Gold and the boys of "Entourage" will be riding off into the sunset next year. On Saturday at the Television Critics Association press tour, Michael Lombardo, HBO's president of programming, confirmed executive producer Mark Wahlberg's earlier statements that the show would end in 2011.

RELATED: See what Mark Wahlberg & more stars were up to this week

"Next summer will definitely be the final season," Lombardo said, adding that series creator Doug Ellin is still thinking about how to end the series.

HBO and the producers haven't settled on an exact number of episodes for the final season -- "We've talked about six," Lombardo says -- but it will be shorter than a typical season.

RELATED: Adrian Grenier & more stars work up a sweat

Lombardo also confirms Wahlberg's statement that a feature film version of the show could follow the series finale. Ellin "clearly wants to write a film," Lombardo says,"but he also wants to do it when the storytelling makes sense."

RELATED: Grenier appreciates the paparazzi

The current season of "Entourage" wraps up on Sept. 12.