Game of Thrones fans are used to waiting. Not only have they been waiting for George R. R. Martin's latest book for over six years, HBO pushed the show's season 7 premiere back by two months. GoT's showrunners already confirmed that spin-offs are already in the works, but fans will have to, yes, wait for those too.
According to Entertainment Weekly, HBO chief Casey Bloys doesn't want anything to distract from the show's final season. So the network will wait for at least a year after the series' finale to air anything related to Westeros.
"The No. 1 priority in all of this is the final season of Game of Thrones," Bloys said during the Television Critics Association's press tour. "I don't want to do anything with a spin-off or anything that detracts or distracts from that. That season will happen and my guess is it would be at least a year before you saw anything else. What I don't want is the attention to be drawn from the final season, which I think is going to be epic and amazing and somehow have the distraction of a new Game of Thrones airing right after that. It's best to separate it and that's what we'll do."
Back in May, HBO confirmed that it was developing four different GoT spin-offs, with Martin being involved in each and every one. Bloys also confirmed that each one would have a fresh cast, so no familiar faces will be making an appearance when the shows hit the airwaves.
In even worse news for impatient GoT fans, the last season — which is supposed to air in 2018 — may be pushed back, too. EW reports that during the interview, Bloys wouldn't confirm any air dates for season 8. Like the never-ending wait for winter to arrive, it looks like there's going to be a lot of buildup leading up to the main event, whether it's the show's final season or the premiere of its prequels.