Amidst all the liberties HBO's Game of Thrones has taken with the source material so far, and despite the promise that beloved characters alive in the books will die in the series, fans might have hoped that there was enough time not to spoil the novels. But we all saw this coming. In a recent appearance at the Oxford Union, showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff revealed that upcoming seasons of the show will have to start outpacing the books. That means that major developments author George R.R. Martin hasn't had time to write will show up onscreen first. Minor spoilers ahead.

During the talk, Benioff reiterated that they've been talking with Martin about the story for years, and this was always a possibility. Still, it's a difficult move to make. "I kind of wish that there were some things we didn’t have to spoil," he said, "but we’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The show must go on, and that’s what we’re going to do."

Season four of Game of Thrones wrapped up threads from Martin's third novel in the saga, A Storm of Swords, which means most of the arcs in season five will be pulled from books four and five. However, fans can already expect Tyrion Lannister to meet with Daenerys Targaryen next season, an event that hasn't happened in the books yet, meaning there will be some plot lines that dive into uncharted waters this year. And who can say what happens next year.

As for the next book in the series, The Winds of Winter, Martin is currently hard at work at completing it, even hinting that it might hit stores next year. However, Benioff and Weiss have no intention of stretching the series out for 10 seasons, stating that they'd be comfortable with about seven or eight years' worth of stories. With that in mind, fans can probably stop hoping that Martin releases the last book in the saga, A Dream of Spring, in time for the final season.

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