We are still a few months away from the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, but at least we know now how long we have to wait to be put out of our misery.
Filming has long since finished on the final episodes of the HBO epic, and the team behind GoT have finally let us know what month to expect the next instalment.
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It is still anyone’s guess what will actually happen in that final handful of episodes, with fan theories running wild as to the final incumbent of the Iron Throne.
Here is all we know so far about the upcoming season, and crucially, when it will arrive…
When is it released?
A brand new teaser trailer from HBO has arrived, confirming that season eight will arrive in April 2019.
We don’t yet know the exact date, but we now know that the final season will be here in around five months.
A fan theory has decided 14 April will be the launch date.
Reddit user Cubuffs424 wrote: ‘I’m sure many people have seen fan-made posters that say April 14th 2019 as the release date. Anyway, I was just looking into something based on season 7 dates.
‘So the first official footage for season 7, much like the footage we saw last month for season 8, was released on November 27th, 2016. The season then premiered on July 16th, 2017, which I found to be 231 days later.
‘I then compared that to the footage that was released on August 26th, 2018 by adding 231 days to it. The date I found? Sunday April 14th, 2019. Can’t be a coincidence can it?’
For some, this is just about all the evidence they need to be convinced that this is pretty much, bang on.
How many episodes are there?
Sadly, the final series will also be the shortest one yet, with just six episodes left to wrap up all the hanging plot threads in Westeros.
All of the episodes are set to be between 50 and 90 minutes long, with no two hour specials.
What can we expect from season eight?
David Benioff and DB Weiss teased that the opening shot will tease the start of a huge fight across Westros, much like the beginning of season one did.
The pair revealed to Entertainment Weekly that season eight will kick off will Daenerys arriving at Winterfell with her armies to face off against the White Walkers.
This will reflect the first episode in season one back in 2011 with Robert Baratheon arriving at Winterfell to ask for Ned Stark’s help in King’s Landing…and we all know how that turned out.
This deliberate callback could be a sign that we’re in for plenty more carnage like we’ve seen over the last seven seasons, which is what the fans are hoping for.
An early leak from the set showed House Stark’s residence at Winterfell coated in flames, with claims over 200 extras were involved in a ‘big battle scene’.
Considering Sansa was left in charge of the place in Jon Snow’s absence, could this be the first stop on the White Walker rampage now they’ve torn through the wall? And could this be Sansa’s big test of her leadership qualities she’s started to show?
The Unsullied army were also reportedly spotted filming not too far away in Toome, indicating Daenerys and Jon Snow could perhaps be involved in the conflict too.
More leaked set pictures show King’s Landing looking in a pretty rough shape too, with reports pyrotechnics had been used around the set.
There’s been previous hints from show producers (and Bran Stark’s vision) a dragon could be about to cause mayhem over King’s Landing – so could Cersei Lannister bow out via brutal scorching?
Back to the Dragonpit
The body doubles of both Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) were spotted both returning to the Italica amphitheatre ruins in Seville, where season seven’s Dragonpit sequence was filmed.
It’s perhaps unsurprising another round in the Dragonpit looks to be taking place considering season seven’s felt slightly anticlimactic – with the meeting of Daenerys, Cersei, Jon Snow, Brienne and more not really amounting to much. Could this be a more devastating encounter?
New faces
A previous report from Watchers On The Wall indicated eight new people had been cast in the show, even though judging by the generic titles, these could be more battle fodder amid the ongoing war.
Other castings include Daniella Galligan as Sarra, which will presumably be Sarra Frey aka a granddaughter of Walder Frey.
Alice Nokes has also been cast as a character named Willa, while German actor Marc Rissman (Into The Badlands) has joined as Harry Strickland, who is the leader of the Golden Company.
You might recall Cersei sent Euron Greyjoy to bring back the Golden Company to aid her defence over the Iron Throne, so it looks like they could play a tide-turning role in the final season.
Old, returning faces
After Metro.co.uk spoke to Tobias Menzies, he didn’t exactly rule out a potential return in the final season as Edmure Tully.
His reappearance could herald House Tully’s return, with Edmure having married Walder Frey’s daughter Roslin at the infamous Red Wedding.
Roslin is now living somewhere in Westeros with her and Edmure’s newborn son, so a return could revive their exiled house and allow them to reclaim the riverlands.
Another old face who is seemingly returning is Wilf Scolding as Rhaegar Targaryen, after deleting a post on Instagram showing him near the Belfast set.
This likely means we’ll be diving deep into Bran Stark’s visions as The Three Eyed Raven once more. After all, we’re still waiting for Jon Snow to find out his worrying connection to Daenerys.
One person who is most likely not returning is Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed, who confirmed to Metro.co.uk she’d yet to receive a call about coming back.
Tragedy ahead?
The latest fan theory doing the rounds on the worldwide web has recalled a crucial moment from season two, which may have spelled the death of Daenerys Targaryen, and it’s terrifyingly plausible.
Reddit user Bronn of The Blackwater, arguably the best moniker across the entire internet, wrote: ‘I’m currently doing a re-watch, and I just finished watching S02E10. I just realised that Daenarys’ vision might be a big foreshadow.
‘In her vision, Dany sees the iron throne, she reached for it, but then decided to go north of the wall and found Khal Drogo with her son.
‘I think the first part already happened: Dany had the opportunity to seized the throne, by fighting Cersei, but decided to go North instead to help Jon Snow fight the Night King.
‘So, maybe the second part of the vision will happen in season 8 and Daenerys will joined Drogo and her son by dying because she decided to go North.’
Since Drago’s untimely death, rumblings that he’ll return before the HBO epic comes to a close have never really settled.
And Jason Momoa has only fuelled rumours he’s reprising his role as the war lord when he shared a picture with the surviving stars of Game of Thrones, including Emilia Clarke and Isaac Hempstead Wright.
Though, another theory poised this week claimed to have worked out Daenerys’ final chapter, predicting the Mother of Dragons will ditch Westeros altogether and set up camp in Essos, which we’d have done ages ago, to be honest.
Sadly, we’ve got an agonising wait still left to go as HBO boss Casey Bloys recently revealed Game of Thrones won’t be back until the first of next year.
Who is directing?
Show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are directing one episode of the final season, presumably the finale.
The rest of the episodes will be directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who was responsible for the excellent season six finale and Battle Of The Bastards, along with David Nutter, who most famously directed the Red Wedding episode.
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