Game Of Thrones‘ seventh season has just come to a close, but Westeros fans might have to wait a little longer than expected for the show’s return.
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Season seven’s ambitious episodes saw the release date pushed back from spring to summer of this year, and The Hollywood Reporter reports that similar delays may affect its next return.
The show’s producers are reportedly considering a plan to begin filming Game Of Thrones season eight in October 2017, with production set to carry through all the way until August 2018. This could delay the episodes’ air date until 2019.
HBO programming boss Casey Bloys says: “Our production people are trying to figure out a timeline for the shoot and how much time the special effects take. The shooting is complicated enough — on different continents, with all the technical aspects — and the special effects are a whole other production period that we’re trying to figure out. That is a big factor in all of this.”
This may mean the show takes a two year gap between seasons, with Bloys stating: “As shows get bigger and more complicated, I have to follow the producers’ lead and let go of, ‘It’d be nice to have it every year’. They have to do the best show they can do. With bigger shows like Westworld or Game of Thrones, sometimes if you want the big show and the big scope, it takes longer.”