Confirming statements made by showrunners during a podcast earlier this month, HBO announced Monday that “Game of Thrones” will not air its next episode until next summer.
Also confirmed? The seventh season will be first to contain fewer than 10 episodes.
Each of the first six seasons of “Thrones” launched in April, except for season three, which launched March 31, 2013.
Summer begins June 21 and ends Sept. 21, so fans are in for a long wait.
Earlier comments made by the showrunners suggested the eighth and final season will consist of six episodes airing in 2018.
Press release!
For Immediate ReleaseEMMY®- AND GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNING HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES TO BEGIN PRODUCTION ON SEASON SEVEN THIS SUMMER
LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2016 – The Emmy®- and Golden Globe-winning series GAME OF THRONES will begin shooting its next season later this summer, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming. Production of the seven-episode seventh season will be based in Northern Ireland, while additional portions will be filmed in Spain and Iceland, with debut slated for summer 2017 on HBO.
“Now that winter has arrived on GAME OF THRONES, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss felt that the storylines of the next season would be better served by starting production a little later than usual, when the weather is changing,” said Bloys. “Instead of the show’s traditional spring debut, we’re moving the debut to summer to accommodate the shooting schedule.”
Season seven directors will include Mark Mylod, Jeremy Podeswa, Matt Shakman and Alan Taylor.
Locations for shooting in Spain will include Sevilla, Caceres, Almodovar del Rio, Santiponce, Zumaia and Bermeo.
Last week, GAME OF THRONES received 23 Primetime Emmy® nominations, the most of any nominee for the third year in a row. This year’s nominations include Outstanding Drama Series, 2 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington), 3 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Max von Sydow), 2 for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Miguel Sapochnik, Jack Bender) and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (David Benioff and D.B. Weiss).
Season seven credits: The executive producers of GAME OF THRONES are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield; co-executive producers, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, George R.R. Martin and Bryan Cogman; producers, Chris Newman, Greg Spence and Lisa McAtackney.
