Game of Thrones Season 8: Everything We Know So Far

Bust out your "spoilers are coming" GIFs because this is officially the last time you'll be able to use them beforeGame of Thronespremieres! The final bow for the HBO epic fantasy series will finally arrive Sunday, April 14 after nearly two years of waiting.

Season 8 has been shrouded in the same level of secrecy we've become accustomed to with this show, but thanks to teasers, cast and creative interviews, and more, we've been able to parse out quite a few details about what's ahead for Game of Thrones final run.

Here's everything we know about Game of Thrones' swan song, and keep checking back after the premiere airs -- we'll update it throughout the season.

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No, we don't know who'll survive the inevitable war between the living and the dead or whose butt will end up on the Iron Throne, but it's probably safe to assume quite a few of our favorite characters will perish before the series ends. Whether they go out fighting the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead or fall victim to Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and the Golden Company remains to be seen, but if we start preparing for their demise now, it might not hurt as much when they come to pass.

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Anyway, here's what we know -- and think we know -- about Season 8. Check back often, as we'll be updating this story as more information becomes available.

The final season debuts Sunday: HBO revealed that the premiere date for Season 8 is Sunday, April 14. New episodes will continue to run each Sunday evening until the series finale airs on Sunday, May 19.

The episode count is smaller, but the run times are longer: Season 8 will consist of just six episodes, but the run time for some of those episodes will be longer than fans might be used to. The Season 7 finale was previously Game of Thrones' longest episode yet, clocking in at more than 80 minutes, but that's pretty much the standard in Season 8. The first two episodes of the new season will be just shy of an hour, per usual, but the last four will clock in at around 1 hour 20 minutes apiece. Given the accelerated pace of Season 7 that completely ignored the rules governing the passage of time and geography, it's safe to say that spending a little more time in Westeros each week may actually be to the show's benefit. We don't want the White Walkers to arrive at Winterfell in the premiere, after all.

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The full trailer is all about preparing for war: This was pretty much to be expected, seeing as the entire series has been leading toward the final battle between the armies of Westeros and the Night King's army of the dead. That doesn't mean this trailer isn't juicy as all hell, though, giving us just enough teases of each of our favorite characters to raise the hype for the final episodes even higher than it was before.

The directors and writers have been set: The final six episodes will be helmed by the cream of the crop of Game of Thrones directors. David Nutter ("The Rains of Castamere," "Mother's Mercy"), Miguel Sapochnik ("Hardhome," "The Winds of Winter"), and Benioff and Weiss will all direct episodes, according to Variety. Nutter is directing Episodes 1,2 and 4, Sapochnik is directing Episodes 3 and 5, and Benioff and Weiss are directing the finale. Benioff and Weiss are also the credited writers on the final four episodes, according to The Telegraph. The season premiere was written by longtime Thrones writer Dave Hill, and the second episode is by Bryan Cogman, who's been a writer since Season 1.

Cersei Lannister will (probably) die: The villains of Game of Thrones may have had the upper hand for several of the show's earlier seasons, but the tides have begun to turn as the White Walkers enter Westeros and the end of the series nears; Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) have each had success in their various endeavors, even if they've also suffered losses. Meanwhile, Cersei has morphed into a more traditional villain during this same period, a devolution that has alienated even her brother and over, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), the one person who's stood by her all this time. If the show follows the same path it has been on, then it stands to reason Cersei will not survive the series, as our heroes will eventually overcome our villains.

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But who will kill Cersei? A popular theory revolves around Maggy the Frog's prophecy, which states that Cersei would be strangled by "the valonqar," aka her little brother. The obvious interpretation of that prophecy is that Tyrion will be the one to do her in, but Jaime is technically Cersei's younger brother, since she was born first. His slow-moving but remarkable redemption arc has made him an unlikely hero, and what better poetic justice would there be than to see Cersei eliminated by the one man she always thought would be by her side?

Jon will find out who his parents are, and it will likely be hella awkward: One of the longest running mysteries of Westeros was solved in Season 7, when it was finally confirmed Jon was not the child of Ned Stark (Sean Bean), but the son of Ned's sister Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi) and Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding). It was also confirmed that Rhaegar had annulled his marriage to his first wife, Elia Martell of Dorne, to marry Lyanna in secret, which meant that not only was Jon not a bastard, but he was also the true heir to the Iron Throne. "From a dramatic standpoint, it makes things interesting, because the story is no longer about who Jon's parents are," executive producer D.B. Weiss told TV Insider. "It's about what happens when Jon finds out."

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Of course, Jon also closed out the season by sleeping with Daenerys, whom we know to be his aunt. While the Targaryens had a history of inbreeding to keep the bloodline "pure," we in the modern world know this practice isn't biologically advantageous. It can lead to genetic issues and is almost certainly the reason Daenerys' father went mad. So it won't be too surprising if things become a little awkward for Jon and Daenerys in Season 8, especially if ...

Daenerys is going to become pregnant: The series dropped enough hints last season that we feel pretty safe when we say it's is very likely that Daenerys will be carrying a little brooding baby when the series returns. A baby born to Jon -- a wolf and a dragon, and the true heir to the Iron Throne -- and Daenerys -- a full-blooded dragon -- could definitely complicate the war for the Iron Throne. But it could also provide Daenerys with a successor should she eventually need one, because let's be honest: Jon has no desire to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Even if he didn't have a habit of failing upwards, he's too noble to break his word to Daenerys just because he might now be considered the rightful heir.

Arya will likely cross off at least one more name on her list: If Jaime kills Cersei, that leaves just five people on Arya's (Maisie Williams) infamous kill list alive: the Hound (Rory McCann), the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson), Ilyn Payne (Wilko Johnson), Melisandre (Carice van Houten), and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer). We're pretty certain everyone's favorite assassin will be able to cross off at least one more name by the time all is said and done, because otherwise the writers will have left a major thread dangling. We wouldn't be surprised if that person is none other than the Red Priestess who brought Arya's brother (er, cousin) Jon back to life in Season 6, as some of the men are likely to meet their deaths elsewhere. Basically, watch your back, Melisandre.

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Melisandre will return from Volantis to play one more hand: After orchestrating the first meeting between Jon and Daenerys in Season 7, Melisandre departed Dragonstone for Volantis. However, she'll return to Westeros before the Great War is over. "I will return, dear Spider, one last time," she told Varys (Conleth Hill). "I have to die in this strange country, just like you."

But why is Melisandre going to Volantis? Some fans on Reddit have speculated she is gathering the Fiery Hand, said to be the slave soldiers for R'hllor who guard the Temple of the Lord of Light, to bring them to Westeros to aid the "Prince (or Princess) That Was Promised." The Red Priestess Kinvara (Ania Bukstein), the High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis introduced in Season 6, believed Daenerys to be the chosen one. Therefore, we wouldn't be surprised if this other priestess made another appearance in Season 8, this time alongside Melisandre, and helps bring the fire to fight the Night King's ice.

Sansa won't know what to do with herself: Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) -- who has suffered more than just about anyone -- is finally in a good place. She's in charge of Winterfell, reunited with most of what's left of her family and, after the execution of Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) last season, finally free of the sequence of terrible men who made her life miserable. But without a specific goal to work toward, this comfortable place might be too unfamiliar to her. "What's going to motivate her?" Turner mused to The Hollywood Reporter. "Is it just about keeping Winterfell as it is in this currently good place? Is it the rising threat of the undead? It's a very strange place for her. Where do her motivations lie now? Now that she's run out of people to manipulate, I wonder if she feels a little bit lost!" Eh, she'll find someone to disagree with.

Don't worry too much about Tormund: Our favorite fire-haired wildling Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) seemed like he may have perished when the Night King used the undead dragon Viserion to melt the Wall, but new footage confirms he made it to safety. We're sure Season 8 will quickly reveal how he survived that literal cliff-hanger, and maybe we'll catch up with him digging his fingernails into the part of the Wall that didn't fall. It'll take more than the end of the world as we know it to kill Tormund.

Everyone will be all over the map: It's a big world, and characters will be seeing parts of it they've never seen before. "Each of the characters this year is placed in a completely alien environment at some point in the season that they've never been placed in before," Samwell Tarly actor John Bradley told TV Guide. "The thrill is seeing how they react to it and how they respond... This season, I think, more than any other is stretching these characters." It is possible that he's talking about "alien environments" in an emotional sense, but he also might be saying that Sam is going someplace like King's Landing.

A familiar location will be made unfamiliar: Thanks to war and winter, many of the locations we've come to know intimately throughout the series' run will be destroyed or otherwise be seen differently. One iconic northern location was spotted going up in flames on the show's Belfast set.

It costs a gobsmacking amount of money: Variety reports that the budget for Season 8 works out to about $15 million per episode. By comparison, Westworld costs about $10 million per episode. With that kind of money, producers could make Jaime's hand out of solid gold and still have money left over to CGI long hair onto Emilia Clarke's head if they wanted.

The first episode will take place at Winterfell: Entertainment Weekly reports that Season 8 will begin at Winterfell as Daenerys' army marches toward it, much like Robert Baratheon's army marched there in the Game of Thrones pilot. The premiere will feature a few reunions of characters with messy histories and a few first time introductions for others. We also know that Sansa will not be pleased that Jon bent the knee to Daenerys. Awkward.

It will be a time of reunions and introductions: There aren't that many characters still alive, so out of necessity the remaining folks are going into bounce off each other in interesting ways. "[The final season] was a chance for a lot of characters to work together that hadn't worked together before. Or at least hadn't worked together in a long time," David Nutter said in a Reddit Ask Me Anything. "So there was a sense of discovery and appreciation. Everyone saw it was coming to an end so there was a real family sensibility to it knowing that it was about to end -- lot of tears, lot of sadness but it was very special." We're psyched for Jon and Arya to see each other for the first time since Season 1.

Sansa and Dany might have some beef. During the Golden Globes, HBO released a preview of its 2019 programming slate. Tucked into the commercial is the first footage of Season 8. The brief clip shows Sansa welcoming Daenerys to the home of the Starks by saying, "Winterfell is yours, your grace." But we detect a trace of resentment on the Lady of Winterfell's face. Dany's smile does look a little strained, doesn't it?

The Starks look to be in big trouble: HBO mercifully bypassed its Season 7 release date ice block fiasco this season, but the teaser they used to let us know the premiere date for Season 8 still got people talking. In the video, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and his sisters-slash-cousins Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams) come face to face with statues of themselves in the Stark family crypt, just as winter arrives. The absence of Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) from this mini-adventure led a lot of fans to believe that the show might be gearing up to confirm that long-held theory that Bran will become the Night King before it's all said and done (emphasis on before).

HBO's following it up with a making-of documentary: The week after the Game of Thrones series finale airs, HBO will give subscribers one more reason to stick around on Sunday evening, as it'll release a behind-the-scenes documentary from Jeanie Finlay about the battle to produce the series' grand finale. Game of Thrones: The Last Watch will run for two hours and premiere on Sunday, May 26 at 9/8c. Additionally, the first of four tie-in books featuring behind-the-scenes details about the show's creation will drop that week as well.

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And it won't really be the end: HBO has five potential spin-offs in the works to fill the hole Game of Thrones will leave in pop culture. Kong: Skull Island screenwriter Max Borenstein, Kingsman: The Secret Service screenwriter Jane Goldman, LA Confidential's Academy Award-winning writer Brian Helgeland, Mad Menand Westworldwriter Carly Wray,and Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogmanare all playing in the sandbox George R.R. Martin created, and presumably at least one of the ideas will make it to series. Wray and Goldman are working with Martin himself to develop their possible series. We don't know what ideas any of them are working on, but Martin dropped a hint that Cogman's is an "adaptation," but won't be the spin-off novella series Dunk & Egg. And a prequel about Robert's Rebellion has been ruled out, too, since that story has already been recounted in enough detail throughout Game of Thrones to render a new retelling unexciting. And the spin-off won't be as big in scale as Game of Thrones is now; HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi thinks the new series would have a budget comparable to Season 3 of Game of Thrones.

At least one of those potential shows is moving forward: HBO is in the pilot stage on a prequel series that according to George R.R. Martin is called The Long Night. The series will be set thousands of years in the past and tell the story of how the Westeros we know from Game of Thrones came into being. The cast includes Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse. The pilot will shoot this year.

Game of Thrones' eighth and final season premieres Sunday, April 14 at 9/8c on HBO.

PHOTOS: Game of Thrones Season 8 Images