'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Air Date: HBO Confirms 2019 Return

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Monday, January 08, 2018

"Game of Thrones" will not return for its final season until 2019.

According to Variety, HBO made the big announcement on Thursday that the eighth and final season of the fantasy drama series based on George R. R. Martin's books will not hit television screens until next year. There was already talk of the show returning in 2019, though this is the first time the cable network has confirmed the news.

Unfortunately, fans do not have a specific date or time period to mark on their calendars, as HBO did not reveal any further information about the anticipated return of "Game of Thrones." Apart from season 7, all past runs of the series aired in the spring. Due to the change in the production schedule, the seventh season aired in the summer last year.

The big-budget series is currently in production, having started in October 2017. It is expected to wrap filming in the middle of 2018. According to The Dubrovnik Times, production will return to Croatia for scenes set in King's Landing. Some crew members, as well as creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, were apparently sighted in Dubrovnik in November last year. Filming is rumored to commence there in February.

The final season will only consist of six episodes, which one less than the previous season and four less than all other seasons. However, it is expected to be the biggest season ever. A couple of returning characters from the seventh season are set to appear, including Alys Karstark and Ned Umber. As previously reported, Megan Parkinson and Seamus O'Hara — who play the last surviving members of House Karstark and House Umber, respectively — are set to reprise their roles. It can be recalled that the two heirs reaffirmed their allegiance to Jon Snow (Kit Harington) after their families betrayed House Stark in favor of House Bolton.

"Game of Thrones" season 8 will air in 2019.