Producers of the Emmy-winning show are unable to confirm an air date for the upcoming season. The plot for requires a harsh, winter look which won’t be possible in the current filming locations until later in the year.
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss recently revealed in UFC Unfiltered podcast: "We're starting a bit later because at the end of the season, 'Winter is here' – and that means that sunny weather doesn't really serve our purposes any more. So we kind of pushed everything down the line so we could get some grim grey weather even in the sunnier places that we shoot."
This follows the news that the hit show is to end after eight seasons and will also be shorter in length, with only a further 13 episodes expected.
The last season has been highly commended for its visual style, with Episode 9, ‘The Battle of the Bastards’ dubbed by reviewers as the most accomplished fight scene in the show’s history.