It’s almost here!

Avid fans of HBO’s popular fantasy series Game of Thrones were sorely disappointed when the show missed its usual premiere date. Though the show usually starts back up again every year in April, technical difficulties — aka the weather — kept the show filming longer than scheduled, therefore pushing back its premiere date.

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“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,” showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff said. “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.”

game of thrones season 7
HBO

A still from the upcoming season 7 of GOT.

Since fans have been waiting longer than usual, as the seventh season of GOT won’t debut on HBO until summer 2017, the anticipation for the heralded series has only increased as time goes by. So as to satiate your thirst for all things Westeros, keep reading to find out everything we know about season 7 so far!

When is the Game of Thrones premiere date in 2017?

The seventh season of GOT will premiere on July 16, 2017.

How many seasons will there be?

Season 7 and 8 will be the final seasons of the show.

Which characters are coming back?

Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Peter Dinklage (Tyron Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei), and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) all have new contracts for the next two seasons with HBO. Also thought to be returning to the show are Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) and Joe Dempsire (Gendry) who were spotted in Belfast at the time the series was filming.

How many episodes will there be?

Season 7 introduces fans to a new format with less episodes. There will be 13 more episodes, seven this season and six in season 8.

Who is the author of the books?

The books were authored by George R.R. Martin, who serves as a co-executive producer on the show.

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