Game of Groans...
It could be late 2018 before hit show returns
THERE’S no fix in sight for Game Of Thrones fans already experiencing withdrawal symptoms after Monday night’s finale.
Filming has only just started on the final six episodes – which we’ve been promised will last more than an hour – and viewers may have to wait till late 2018 before they hit screens.
The scripts have been written, and creators David Benioff and DB Weiss are currently “boarding it all out”.
Insiders say the earliest the final series will arrive is next summer, but if editing takes longer than anticipated, it could be the end of the year.
Sources have said that the “scale and size of the set pieces” will be “more extraordinary” than ever.
Monday’s episode, the last in the penultimate series, aired at 2am UK time and ran for over 79 minutes.
As of yesterday evening, it had already been watched by an estimated 50 million people worldwide.
HBO is working on four spin-off shows, with the most likely prospect being a prequel to George RR Martin’s saga. But no production timetable has yet been set.
HBO’s programming chief, Casey Bloys, said of the spin-offs: “The bar set… is so high that my hope is to get one show that lives up to it.”
But he stressed: “The number one priority in all of this is the final season of Game of Thrones.”
It looks like winter 2018 will be a very long time coming ....