Game Of Thrones fans still have a long time to keep themselves busy before the much-anticipated season eight arrives next year.
It has already been a lengthy wait for the final season of the epic fantasy drama, and we still have a few more months to go.
George RR Martin basically confirms huge Jon Snow theory ahead of Game of Thrones season 8
Information on what is actually going to happen in season eight is very thin on the ground as the show-runners have fought hard to keep spoilers quiet.
However, we do know a few things about what to expect from the huge HBO hit which comes to a climax in 2019.
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.
Here is that trailer
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.
Who is joining the cast?
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.
What to expect from season 8?
As you would expect, everyone involved in the show has been incredibly tight-lipped and no serious spoilers have really been leaked.
However, we do know a little bit about the opening scene of the final season.
In a new preview feature with Entertainment Weekly, it was confirmed that season eight will open at Winterfell with an episode which deliberately harks back to the set-up of the 2011 Game of Thrones pilot.
‘Instead of King Robert’s procession arriving, it’s Daenerys and her army,’ the EW report reveals about the key difference between the events of the pilot and the upcoming season premiere.
‘What follows is a thrilling and tense intermingling of characters – some of whom have never previously met, many who have messy histories – as they all prepare to face the inevitable invasion of the Army of the Dead.’
The bookmakers have been taking bets on who could end the season in charge of Westeros, and they are pretty confident that Bran Stark is the man to do it.
With the power of the Three-Eyed Raven behind him, Bran is seen as a real force, and there is still the distinct possibility of some kind of link with the Night King.
Odds on ruling Westeros at the end of Game Of Thrones
- 4/6 Bran Stark
- 9/2 Any Child of Daenerys Targaryen
- 9/2 Any Child of Jon Snow
- 5/1 Jon Snow
- 6/1 Daenerys Targaryen
- 9/1 Nights King (Current Leader of the White Walkers)
- 12/1 Tyrion Lannister
- 14/1 Sansa Stark
- 16/1 Gendry
- 18/1 Arya Stark
- 25/1 Cersei Lannister
- 33/1 Any Child of Cersei
- 40/1 Jaime Lannister
- 50/1 Samwell Tarly
- 50/1 The Children of the Forest
- 80/1 Brienne of Tarth
- 100/1 Beric Dondarrion
- 100/1 Bronn of the Blackwater
- 100/1 Euron Greyjoy (Crows Eye)
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