We may have to wait a bit longer than usual for the next season of Game of Thrones, and there’s a very good reason: The show needs winter to actually show up first. 
 
 
 
 The HBO series normally debuts every new season in April, but season seven will likely launch later in 2017, as showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss revealed in a podcast interview with UFC Unfiltered: 
 
 We’re starting a bit later because at the end of this 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 implies we’ll see some of our more traditionally sunny lands of Westeros in entirely new ways. We’re used to the chilly environments of Winterfell and the Wall, but imagine seeing King’s Landing or Highgarden covered in clouds, rain, or even snow. And where are the people of Dorne supposed to go, since their entire kingdom seems to be made of nothing but porches and patios? 
 
 Game of Thrones is looking to have just two more shortened seasons before the series ends. The good news is that even if these final two seasons begin later that usual, they could still end in June, as per usual. It all depends on when, exactly, winter is coming ... in the real world. 
 
 [Digital Spy] ||||| UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and Game of Thrones writers and producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss join Matt Serra and Jim Norton on Episode 7 of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. Tate discusses her upcoming title defense against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 this weekend while Benioff and Weiss talk about the latest season finale of GoT and what's ahead in the popular HBO series.1:40 - What did the guys do during the 4th of July?8:30 - What happened when Jim went to watch "The Conjuring 2" over the weekend - and why does he wish he was Dan Henderson?20:00 - The guys really like their MeUndies.26:02 - Game of Thrones' creators join the show.28:24 - What couldn't you translate from the books into the show?29:09 - Any complaints from George R. R. Martin?30:01 - Which character you've killed off do you wish you didn't have to?31:15 - The guys talk about THAT fight scene.32:48 - David and D.B. talk about their UFC fandom.34:53 - How many more episodes are left in GoT? Do you know how it will end?35:55 - Any chance of a prequel? What will they do after they are done with GoT?38:55 - Has the network opposed any of the deaths you've planned on GoT?41:22 - When will the new season of GoT begin?45:20 - This Week in UFC History.46:19 - Miesha Tate joins the podcast.46:62 - Is Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 a bigger challenge than Holly Holm was?47:37 - Miesha talks about Amanda's weaknesses.48:15 - How important is a third fight with Ronda Rousey?49:40 - How Did Miesha rebound after previous losses?51:16 - What was the first thing Miesha did after she won the championship?51:50 - Is the fact that Miesha's UFC 200 bout is a five-round fight an advantage over Amanda?54:35 - The importance of the proper mentality inside the Octagon.55:55 - What's Miesha got to prove?56:44 - What's the difference between this fight and others for Amanda?58:27 - What do you tell yourself going into the Octagon if you are the underdog?59:44 - What did the guys learn from talking with Miesha?1:03:50 - Matt Serra responds to Matt Hughes' callout.1:14:23 - What does Matt Serra miss from his fighting days?
– The wait for the next season of Game of Thrones just got a bit longer because, as io9 reports, winter isn't coming. At least not yet. New seasons of Game of Thrones typically debut in April, but weather in the European locations where the show films could push that back, the Verge reports. “We’re starting a bit later because at the end of this season ‘winter is here’—and that means that sunny weather doesn’t really serve our purposes any more," Thrones creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff say on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. "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.” And who knows, if the real-life winter holds off long enough George RR Martin might even have time to finish the next book.