We might finally know when 'Game of Thrones' could return to TV
The INSIDER Summary:
• HBO has said to expect "Game of Thrones" season 7 this summer.
• Another HBO series, "The Leftovers," will run from April to early June.
• This means "Game of Thrones" will likely return on either June 18 or 25.
Winter is here, and our watch continues, but we might finally know when to expect the next season of "Game of Thrones." Though HBO has not released any concrete details about the premiere date, the context of another HBO show might allow us to piece together a probable start date.
"The Leftovers" is another HBO series which airs at 9 p.m. on Sundays - the same time slot as "Game of Thrones." On January 25, HBO announced "The Leftovers" will return for its third and final season on April 16.
HBO also confirmed that "The Leftovers" season three would run for eight episodes. Logic follows that "Game of Thrones" can't start while "The Leftovers" is still on air, so we just have to count eight weeks forward from the premiere date of "Leftovers."
The season finale of "The Leftovers" should be on June 4 (assuming the weekly schedule doesn't take any breaks). That puts the odds of a June premiere for "Game of Thrones" season seven extremely high. It's possible that HBO will take a week off between "The Leftovers" and "Game of Thrones," so our bet is on a June 18 premiere.
News was circulating earlier this month about a June 25 premiere for "Game of Thrones" season seven, but that speculation was based on an IMDB post. Since IMDB information can be altered by users without a direct connection to the program, this was news fans need to take with a grain of salt.
But that doesn't rule out June 25 entirely. It's still possible, based on "The Leftovers" end date and previous statements from HBO.
In July 2016, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said the company was "moving the ['Game of Thrones'] debut to summer to accommodate the shooting schedule."
Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss decided to begin filming the season later in the year than usual, because they needed the overcast winter weather of Northern Ireland and Iceland in order to properly convey that winter had arrived in Westeros.
According to reports from Watchers on the Wall, we know filming has wrapped for season seven as of late January. This has us hyped for the prospect of getting a new trailer for the upcoming season soon (since by this time last year we already had the first two teasers).
So for now "Game of Thrones" fans can feel secure in expecting a June 18 or 25 release date. Winter may be here, but our thoughts remain with the sweet summer promise of season seven.