'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Release Date, News: Final Installment's Premiere Not Set in Stone; Endgame Already Plotted

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, July 27, 2017

The seventh season of "Game of Thrones" is still ongoing, but fans are already asking questions about season 8. And while there are going to be less episodes next season, they are said to be longer.

Earlier this month, sound designer Paula Fairfield teased that all season 8 episodes may be feature-length, clocking in at more than 80 minutes each. Season 8 will only consist of six episodes, one less than the current cycle.

Fans have long debated on who will end up ruling the Seven Kingdoms and sitting on the Iron Throne. There are a handful of people who are vying for it, and one person struggling to keep it. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, however, already have an ending in mind. They spoke to author George R.R. Martin years earlier about the conclusion of the story, but they may not stick to his plans completely.

"We had ninety percent of this crucial chunk of the story for the final season, and we were mainly talking to George to see how our notion of where things ended up jibed with his notion," Weiss told TIME.

As for an air date, there have been speculations that season 8 could bow either in 2018 and 2019. HBO president of programming Casey Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter that he cannot say for sure.

"All I will tell you is it is obviously a very ambitious season," Bloys said. "This is the culmination of eight seasons of fantastic storytelling. They are writing, and they need to look at the production schedule, and we will take their lead in terms of the airdate that works best for them. They don't even know; they are still putting the season together."

Right now, fans can just look forward to episode 3 of season 7, titled "The Queen's Justice." A teaser trailer for the upcoming episode sees Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) arriving at King's Landing with his gifts for Cersei Lannister. It also previewed Jon Snow's first meeting with Daenerys Targaryen--something fans have long been looking forward to.

"Game of Thrones" season 7 airs Sundays, 9 .p.m., on HBO.

Watch the preview below: