It looks as if Game Of Thrones fans might have to wait even longer for the already delayed final season of the show to air.
While the HBO series is all set to wrap up for good in 2019, it’s now been suggested there could be even more of a delay on the last episodes than we first thought.
So just what’s going on and when will we get to see it exactly?
Well, HBO has confirmed that Game Of Thrones will definitely come to an end in 2019, having confirmed on Twitter in early 2018 that the final season will air next year.
But despite suggestions we might see it in April, it now looks like it won’t be until at least May.
And why’s that? Well seemingly it just won’t be ready before then – with visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer telling Huffington Post that the series wouldn’t be eligible for the Emmys next year:
‘We’re going to be toiling away on season eight until May of 2019, so it’s eight or nine months away,’ he explained.
Since shows have to air the majority of their episodes before May 31st in any given year to qualify for Emmy nominations, it’s a fair bet on those grounds that Game Of Thrones won’t be airing before then.
But what was the reason for the long wait in the first place – especially given the final series will only have six episodes?
Well HBO bosses explained earlier in the year that the series just wouldn’t be ready before then, with showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss wanting time to craft the strongest season finale they could.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Casey Bloys explained: ‘Here’s what I’ll tell you: They take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality.
As the show has gone on, it’s gotten bigger — big battle scenes, big special effects. These things take time.
He added: Here’s the one thing I can assure you: Dan and Dave were not sitting around on a beach waiting to go back to work. They’re perfectionists and this is the soonest it can come back at a level of quality that they are comfortable with.’
What have the cast said about it?
Nathalie Emmanuel previously told Metro.co.uk season eight ‘definitely will not be a rushed conclusion’ while Joe Dempsie teased it’ll be an unexpected and ‘satisfying’. ‘It’s an ending I don’t think many people will be expecting and I think, on reflection, people will really, really enjoy.’
Emilia Clarke meanwhile has stated the final season will divide viewers, with some being confused while others ‘will scream’. In other words, it sounds like it could be an ending which is more open-ended than we’re expecting – which might not deliver when it comes to instant gratification.
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