Game of Thrones season 8 won’t air until 2019 — HBO makes it official

2018 is looking like it’ll be a barren year for fans of some of TV’s top most popular shows.

On the comedy side, it’s looking like there’ll be no new Rick & Morty and no original It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia episodes either. Hell, even Stranger Things isn’t a lock for a Halloween 2018 release, if recent rumblings are to be believed.

Now, US network HBO has finally confirmed what most of us had expected; Game of Thrones season 8 won’t air until 2019.

In the editor’s notes of a press release, the company also confirmed, as largely rumoured, that there’s only six more episodes to come.

The official word comes weeks after Sansa Stark actress Sophie Turner blurted it out in an interview with Variety.

Although there’ll only be six episodes, they’re all likely to be longer than the standard 50 minutes.

In fact, when it’s all said and done, we might not be too far short of a 10-episode series, in terms of overall runtime.

Written and directed by…

HBO has also confirmed the writers and directors for the final season. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss will direct the finale, while David Nutter will be in the chair for three of the six episodes. Alumni Miguel Sapochnick will direct the other two.

Benioff and Weiss will be assisted in writing duties by Dave Hill and Bryan Cogman.

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HBO hasn’t expressed a reason for delaying season 8 beyond 2018, but in previous years the need for more winter scenes has affected the production schedule.

Recent reports have also suggested the delay is tactical as it gives HBO more time to hatch a plan for the highly-anticipated spin-offs that’ll bring us back to Westeros, once the battle for the Iron Throne concludes.

Will the final season of Game of Thrones be worth the wait? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.