Though the Game of Thrones bosses have been vocal about their two-season swan song plan, the epic HBO drama has not officially been renewed for an eighth season — and now we know why.
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss previously told EW they wanted to cap the hit series at 73 hours, with seven episodes this year, and six in an eighth-and-final season. But HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys confirms to EW that the season 8 renewal is being delayed because the GoT bosses are still mulling how many episodes the final season will consist of.
In the meantime, fans will have to wait a bit longer for season 7, which will return in summer instead of April, because production needed to start later to film in more wintery locales.
The push means Game Of Thrones is no longer in contention for Emmy nominations in 2017 after scoring 23 nods in 2016. In its sixth season, Thrones also broke HBO ratings records once again, with episodes averaging more than 23 million viewers, including streaming, repeats and DVR playback.
This article originally appeared on EW.com.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com