In the sixth season finale of Game of Thrones, winter had finally come. But the long-awaited arrival of ice in Westeros hasn't lined up with the real weather in Europe, forcing producers to push back filming for season 7 so the show can be shot during actual, real-life winter.


When asked if the show will make its usual return next April, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said it was unlikely. "We don't have an airdate yet, but this year, it'll probably be a bit later 'cause we're starting a bit later. At the end of this season, 'winter is here,' and that means that sunny weather doesn't really serve our purposes anymore. So we kind of pushed everything down the line, so we could get some grim, gray weather even in the sunnier places that we shoot."

Game of Thrones has been hyping winter since the pilot episode, so if it's finally here, it had better look like it. Even scenes set in the warmer parts of Westoros (like Dorne, which is shot in Malta, Croatia and Spain) will be delayed to capture an authentic winter chill. And although it means the wait for more season 7 could be long and arduous, you can't say they never warned us this winter would be rough.

Winter has finally come, and it's time to get ready for the final arc of Game of Thrones. We've already learned that season seven is going to be only seven episodes long as opposed to the usual ten, and the eighth and final season is likely to be even shorter. Nevertheless, the season six finale, "The Winds of Winter," perfectly set the stage for the last major story arcs set in Westeros. Saddle up the dragons, unite the North, and rally the Dothraki, because the fight for the Seven Kingdoms is truly about to begin.

The White Walkers get past the Wall

Daenerys vs. Cersei

Littlefinger will make his move

The North and South team up against the White Walkers

A country finally united

Peacefully divided