Entertainment
Since receiving confirmation that the highly anticipated eighth season of Games of Thrones won't be premiering until 2019, fans haven't been too thrilled with HBO. Waiting over a year for its return, and there only being six episodes? Yeah, that's pretty brutal for any enthusiast to come to terms with. These Games of Thrones Season 8 updates, however, may actually make that long wait seem like less of a challenge.
Entertainment Weekly made the premiere date announcement on Jan. 4, and after, fans spent the rest of the day making their disappointment felt all over social media. Emotions were high — ranging from anger, to complete confusion over what could possibly be taking the GoT creators so long to complete the final season. It was teased over the summer that the show could potentially skip 2018 altogether, but the timeline actually being confirmed still managed to take a lot of fans by surprise. Let's just say, there are quite a few people who would much rather skip 2018 altogether than live through it without having the final Game of Thrones (casting: Carla Stronge) season at their disposal.
But with unfortunate news usually comes a silver lining, and the Game of Thrones (writer: Vanessa Taylor) production schedule is of no difference. All of the updates surrounding Season 8 just may be enough to tide the fandom over until its release, and that's definitely something to celebrate.
'GoT' Will Return "Sometime In 2019"
HBO confirming to EW that the show will return "sometime in 2019" may sound a bit bittersweet at first, but in all actuality, this tiny bit of news hints at something much bigger. Like, a larger than life final season, for example.
The Season's Six Episodes Will Be More Like Mini-Movies
Speaking of a larger than life Season 8, according to Deadline, all of the final episodes are expected to be close to feature length. The tip was dropped by a GoT crew member during 2017's Con of Thrones event, and seriously, after viewing Season 7's 80-minute finale, this update doesn't seem that far-fetched.
EW also reported that fans shouldn't necessarily expect all of the Season 8 episodes to hit the 80-minute mark, but having a little hope can't hurt.
Production Is Extending Through Summer 2018
Fans will also be excited to know that Season 8 is already in production — also per EW — and is expected to extend through summer 2018. This bit of news could totally mean that setting sights on an early 2019 release wouldn't lead to too much disappointment. But if anything, fans could be getting ahold of that premiere date sooner than later.
Kit Harington & Rose Leslie Are Reportedly Tying The Knot
Another rumored reason for GoT's lengthy production time is the marriage between Kit Harington and Rose Leslie. And what does this mean for fans, you ask? Something GoT related to obsess over while waiting for Season 8 to arrive, because duh.
The happy couple got engaged in September 2017, and, while not confirmed, a 2018 wedding could totally be on the radar. But, what's a wedding without the smiling faces of the folks you spend the most time with? Well, in Harington and Leslie's case, that would be their GoT colleagues. While paying a visit to The Jonathan Ross Show, Harington talked a bit about the couple's wedding plans. And according to the actor, relaying said plans to a GoT producer went a little something like this: "I rang him up and I said, 'I'm getting married and it's your fault actually.'"
"I was like, 'You need to factor in a Game of Thrones wedding by the way,'" he hilariously added. "[The cast] have all got to be there so the whole thing has got to shut down!" So there you have it, folks.
The 'GoT' Emmys' Campaign Is Bound To Be Good
Something else fans could look forward to over the break is potential Emmy success for the celebrated show. As pointed out by EW, with a 2018 airdate out of the picture, the HBO show will be able to put a lot of its promotional efforts in a 2018 Emmys Award campaign. And seriously, who wouldn't want the cinematic treasure, or the show's most coveted actors to get the love from its peers it deserves?
'GoT' Will Go Out With A Bang
As mentioned previously, a larger than life final season is definitely expected, and thanks to the network's programming president Casey Bloys, all suspicions have been confirmed. In an EW interview over the summer, Bloys noted that showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have every intention to give GoT a "proper send off." And here's to hoping that this means that Benioff and Weiss will give blood, sweat, and tears to ensure all loose ends are tied, while delivering the best possible television experience.
Actor Jason Momoa gave his two cents on how Season 8 will affect fans, and according to the Hawaii native, it's definitely going to be an event. While speaking to EW in a November 2017 interview, Momoa said, "It’s going to be the greatest thing that’s ever aired on TV. It’s going to be unbelievable. It’s going to f*ck up a lot of people." It's a bit of a blanket statement, but it definitely should reassure fans that Season 8 won't be one to disappoint.
Fans won't be just twiddling their thumbs throughout 2018. Because as it stands, they'll have of GoT content to keep them occupied over the next year or so — making the 2019 event well worth the wait.
