Game of Thrones: Our Worst Fears About the Season 8 Premiere Date Were Confirmed

Game of Thrones might already be months into shooting the eighth and final season, but don't expect it to be coming to a screen near you very soon.

In an interview with Variety, Sophie Turner (aka Sansa Stark, boss lady extraordinaire and totally the rightful heir to Winterfell and the North) confirmed that the wait for Game of Thrones Season 8 will be a long one. While discussing her future projects of Dark Phoenix and Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Turner slipped in that Game of Thrones would premiere in 2019, a fact that HBO has not officially confirmed yet. For reference, Season 7 began on July 16 and concluded Aug. 27 of this year, meaning it's possible we could go two years between Thrones seasons, despite Season 8 being only six episodes long.

This could be an errant slip of the tongue since everyone has already been speculating that HBO might not meet the predicted premiere date in 2018, but if anyone knows the inside scoop, it's Turner. According to her, they've still got six or seven months left of filming, which makes a summer premiere impossible and a winter premiere incredibly unlikely.

It's also believed that the extended production time is due to the heavy amount of special effects that will be needed for Season 8. After all, large-scale dragon fights don't just render themselves.

Game of Thrones Season 7 will be available on Blu-ray and DVD starting Dec. 12th.
An official premiere date for Game of Thrones Season 8 has not yet been released.