The eleventh season of "Doctor Who" may arrive later than expected in the fall of next year because filming will start in early 2018.

Fans looking forward to seeing the latest iteration of a female Doctor Who (Jodie Whittaker) will be disappointed to know that the season premiere will likely be pushed backed to 2018. Apparently, incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall will be making several major changes to "Doctor Who." These changes include who will become the next companion in the eleventh season.

The shoot in early 2018 would mean that Chibnall will have ample time to choose the new companion and make other important decisions. Therefore, the release date would likely be in autumn of next year.

"Doctor Who" fans will at least have a glimpse of Whittaker in the Christmas special titled "Twice Upon a Time" released later in the year. Whittaker is joined by Peter Capaldi and David Bradley. The actress recently shared her thoughts on playing the first female Doctor in an interview with Rolling Stone.

"I'm playing an alien and gender is not a part of that. A moment like this of being the first woman cast as something, it makes you really think about your sex, whereas actually what you want to do is play a part where your gender is irrelevant," said Whittaker.

The role goes beyond that of having a gender but also playing someone who is an alien, which is a more challenging task. "I am a woman, so I don't need to play that. And so for me, this was the most freeing experience because there's no right or wrong way to do it. The rules went out the window," the actress further added.

The eleventh season of "Doctor Who" is expected to premiere later next year with the first ever female Doctor.