HBO’s massive series Game of Thrones is approaching the debut for its third season, and there’s already been quite a bit of buzz in the news. One of the most intriguing rumors is that it may have already been green-lit for a fourth season.

Charles Dance, who plays Tywin Lannister on the show, recently let slip that the series could already be preparing for a fourth season later this year. Dance was quoted as saying this:

We’re about to start season four aren’t we? This year. We get scripts pretty early on, much earlier on than in similar series, usually you get perhaps one episode and you just have to trust that what’s going to come in subsequent episodes is going to be as good as the one you’ve got, but in this I think there are six scripts already written, and we will probably be able to see them with more than adequate time to prepare before we start shooting.

The answer to the headline question is actually no. At this point, there has been no official renewal of the series for a fourth season, and the executives were quick to point that out at the event where Dance made this claim. Granted, it’s very likely that they will actually get their renewal once the ratings come in for the new episodes. Game of Thrones is one of the most popular shows on television, and while the budget for producing the show is surely very expensive, I don’t think HBO will drop the series until it stops earning them profit. Heck, they already re-signed George R.R. Martin for the next two years. I’m sure Dance is merely referring to some of the pre-production work that TV shows work on.

What do you think of this news? Do you think that Game of Thrones will eventually get a fourth season? Why don’t you just tell us in the comments below?

Source: Collider