Some months ago, actor- actor Kristian Nairn who plays Hodor in GoT mentioned in an interview that together with Bran, they will not be appearing in season 5 of Game of Thrones—which got some fans really upset.

But it seems there is a good reason why the two are not returning in season 5.

According to David Benioff in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the reason why Bran and Hodor are not coming back in Season 5 is that; though there are differences between the show and the books, he and fellow showrunner-Dan Weiss are still trying to stick to author George R. R. Martin’s various storylines:

He said “last year we caught up to the end of Bran’s storyline (in Martin’s most recent A Song of Ice and Fire novel, A Dance with Dragon). So if we pushed him forward this season, then he’s way ahead of where the other characters are”.

In the Season 4 finale of, Bran was left at the point where he begins training on his skinchanging and greensight—and this is where he will remain until perhaps Season 6.

As Benioff said, it “made sense” to leave Bran’s story where it was for now so to concentrate on the other chracters—and that going through his training wouldn’t be “particularly cinematic.”

We will definitely miss Bran and Hodor!