'The Winds of Winter': 'Game of Thrones' to be released ahead of novel; TWOW finally complete?

After George R. R. Martin sparked excitement for the fans of "The Winds of Winter" by hinting at a 2017 release date, another news emerged that "Game of Thrones" will be aired ahead of the novel.

This has already been confirmed by the "Game of Thrones" showrunners, DB Weiss and David Benioff, when they stated that they are releasing the series in the summer of this year. This means the show will air before "The Winds of Winter" comes out, according to Insider.

Furthermore, GRRM has last met the showrunners after the fourth season of the show, possibly due to the fact that he is channeling his focus on the anticipated novel. The critically acclaimed author is apparently still writing the novel, unconnected to the show's premiere. This should indicate that the book will be made available after the premiere of "Game of Thrones."

On the contrary, another news emerged that since Martin is not revealing the progress of the book — not even the characters and the new chapter — in the past several months, it is possible that "The Winds of Winter" has already been completed.

As explained by Martin on his blog, his novel is not yet complete but is already in progress. He even expressed his hope that the book will finally be released this year.

"Not done yet, but I've made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year)," he wrote.

Fans speculate that the novelist decided not to disclose any more details about the book until a release date is announced. It is expected that "The Winds of Winter" will be made available on the shelves this year. However, GRRM has yet to confirm the release of the sixth book of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.