Winter Is Coming … A Bit Later? Rumor Has ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 5 Premiere Delayed By Production Problems

Winter is still coming, folks, but you might have to wait a bit longer for it. HBO’s hit fantasy show Game of Thrones has fans anxious to see when they can get back to the wild world of Westeros, but a new rumor has the series premiere maybe coming a bit later than most would like, thanks to some problems on the Game of Thrones set.

This report’s pretty thin on exactly why Game of Thrones’ fifth season might see delays, saying only that “some problems [were] encountered during production.” Reportedly, Game of Thrones’ producers don’t want to rush the production of the fifth season for fear that doing so could result in a lower quality product.

That’s not a lot to go on, and HBO so far has given no indication that anything has been wrong with production on the next Thrones season. Instead, HBO has been teasing Game of Thrones fans with snippets of the fifth season released here and there. Most recently, fans got a look at Cersei Tyrion, Jon Snow, and Arya Stark in split-second glimpses during a 2014 wrap-up video HBO released late last year.

Still, no news appears to be some sort of news, and Christian Today is saying that the unspecified difficulties encountered on the set could push Game of Thrones away from its expected debut. The delays and difficulties are said to be having an impact even on the show’s casting. Reportedly, new actors are expected to join the production, as Season 5 will introduce a wealth of new characters and locales. Casting for the show, though, is said to be on hold.

Meanwhile, Game of Thrones fan site Watchers on the Wall hasn’t mentioned any word of production delays. Instead, they’re pointing toward a forthcoming behind-the-scenes featurette, titled Game of Thrones: A Day in the Life. That featurette will debut on HBO on Sunday, February 8, and it’s expected to give viewers a look at new footage of Game of Thrones’ fifth season. Some observers have noted that since the featurette will be debuting in February, we might be able to expect a Season 5 trailer some time in mid-January, much like we did last year.

What else can Game of Thrones lovers expect from the next season? Word has it that one new cast addition’s character will mark a significant shift from what readers have seen in the Song of Ice and Fire books so far. If you’re into spoilers, you might want to check out Watchers on the Wall’s report on Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Malko character. Malko isn’t part of the books, and it appears that his character on Game of Thrones will have a tremendous impact on the stories of Tyrion and Jorah Mormont. More than that we can’t exactly say, but you’ll want to see where Game of Thrones takes those characters when the fifth season kicks off later this year.

[Lead image via Winter Is Coming]