Season 8 of Game of Thrones is still a little while off yet, but as it draws closer, more and more details about it are starting to emerge. So what can we expect from the Game of Thrones final season? Here’s everything we know so far.
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Before you go any further, there are some potential spoilers for the new season below. Probably not anything earth-shattering, but if you’re keen on going in with fresh eyes, I’d stop reading now. For everyone else, go right ahead.
How many episodes will there be in GoT season 8?
There will be 6 episodes in the final season of the series, but they’ll run longer than usual. While most episodes up until now have run for the standard 60 minutes, rumour has it season 8’s episodes will run for 80 to 90 minutes each.
When will it start and finish?
During an interview a little while ago, the Arya Stark actor, Maisie Williams, told Metro, “we air our first episode in April [2019]”. Welp, she was spot on, because HBO released a teaser revealing the starting month as, indeed, April next year.
Assuming they release an episode a week, the series should wrap up six weeks after the premiere, so May or maybe even June of 2019.
Who’s behind the scenes?
All 6 episodes will be directed by Miguel Sapochnik, David Nutter, and creators, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss.
Sapochnik helmed both the Hardhome and Battle of the Bastards episodes, while Nutter directed the horrific Red Wedding episode, so it looks like they’ve got all hands on deck for the Game of Thrones final season. No doubt it’s gonna be an absolute bloody doozy.
Dave Hill, the bloke who wrote the episode, Eastwatch, has written season 8’s premiere episode, and producer, Bryan Cogman, has written the second. Both Benioff and Weiss wrote the remaining four.
Any new cast members? And What about the old ones?
New casting for the final season has been pretty scarce, which shouldn’t be surprising given more people are probably going to die than arrive at this stage in the story. There have, however, been casting calls for parts like “Northern Girl” and “Boy,” according to The Independent, but I’d wager these are more extra-type roles than anything important.
Other reports have said that the leader of the Golden Company in the series’ books, Harry Strickland, will be played by The Last Kingdom’s Marc Rissmann.
Obviously, anyone who played a big role in the previous season and didn’t die will be back to conclude their respective stories, but there are a few others that might be a bit of a surprise (this is where those potential spoilers kick in, folks).
Carice van Houten, who plays the mysterious Red Woman, posted and then deleted an Instagram post hinting that she’d be back this season. Wilf Scolding, who played Jon Snow’s real father, Rhaegar Targaryen, also let some details slip about his return to the series via Instagram.
Joe Dempsie, who plays Gendry, has interestingly teased a big role for the final season, saying he’s done “a fair bit” for it.
How’s it all gonna end?
Well, you probably already know this, but things aren’t looking good for just about anyone. Of course, no one knows for sure – not even the actors – but hints and rumours point to many of your favourites meeting their demise in season 8.
Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys, said the final moments in the show “fucked me up” and ”knowing that is going to be a lasting flavour in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is…”
Intriguing, no?
But whatever the outcome is, some of the actors are happy with the sense of closure. Sophie Turner says it’s “satisfying” and “bloodier than ever. It’s full of betrayal, full of war, full of danger.” Peter Dinklage said that the showrunners “end it brilliantly. Better than I could have imagined, and you people are in for it. It ends beautifully for my character – whether it be tragic or not.”
It’s also worth remembering that many of the actors filmed multiple endings, so while they think they know how it ends, the reality is only very few do, so we’re just gonna have to wait and see what the Game of Thrones final season dishes up for us.
Will season 8 be the end of Game of Thrones?
In its current form, yes, but we do know that a GoT prequel is already in the works, so you’ll still get plenty more stories from Westeros in the future.
Created by Martin and Jane Goldman, it’ll take place a thousand years before the events of Game of Thrones and focus on the first clash between the humans and White Walkers known as “the Long Night“.
According to Bloys, the first pilot will be produced in the first quarter of 2019.
How to watch the Game of Thrones final season in Australia
Because Foxtel still owns the rights to Game of Thrones in Australia, that’s still the only way to watch the series, unfortunately. HBO‘s own streaming service, HBO Go, is not available here, so unless you’re keen on waiting for the series to finish so you can pick it up on iTunes, you’ll just have to bite the bullet and go with what we have.
Your best and cheapest option is probably going to be Foxtel’s streaming service, Foxtel Now. The good thing with this is there are no lock-in contracts, so once the series ends, you can kick that shit to the curb if you like. The Pop or Drama packs both contain GoT and will set you back $15 a month.
There you have it, folks, we’ll keep this yarn updated with fresh deets for the Game of Thrones final season, so check back in when you’re hungry for more.
