Game of Thrones season 6: Director Jack Bender says showrunners 'communicate closely' with George RR Martin

Bender has read the scripts and not sixth book The Winds of Winter after all

George RR Martin on the Iron Throne surrounded by past and present members of the Game of Thrones cast

George RR Martin is still taking Game of Thrones fans on an emotional rollercoaster, with hopes that he might have finished sixth book The Winds of Winter dashed once again.

Director Jack Bender, known for Lost and helming two episodes for season six of the TV series, has clarified comments he made last week about his preparation for the job.

Bender was asked by a fan on Reddit whether he was "able to read an advance copy of book six of Game of Thrones to prepare for directing next season's episodes", to which he replied "Yes" and sparked a frenzy of excitement.

As it turned out he had actually only read the scripts, but did point out to BGR that showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss regularly "communicate closely" with Martin, meaning there will likely be overlaps and sneak peeks into what we can expect from future novels, meaning spoilers...everywhere.

Benioff told the Oxford Union earlier this year that they had been "talking about this with George for a long time and know where things are heading".

"We'll eventually meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going," he said. "There might be a few deviations along the route but we're heading towards the same destination.

"I kind of wish that there were some things we didn't have to spoil but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. The show must go on and that's what we're going to do."

Martin, meanwhile, will not be appearing with the Game of Thrones panel at Comic-Con in San Diego later this week after cancelling a string of events to focus on his writing.

Shooting on season six is scheduled to start soon in Belfast ahead of a probable air date next spring, with Bender using a cooking metaphor to describe his planned approach.

"This is how I look at it," he said. "As a director on Lost, I liked to say we get recipes from [showrunners] Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Then, me and the writers and the rest of the team, we'd cook the meal."

Only, what, nine months to wait to see his finished product?