"Game of Thrones" Returns for Eighth & Final Season on HBO in 2019
by Denise Petski
January 4, 2018


It’s official. HBO has confirmed that its fantasy saga "Game of Thrones" based on George R.R. Martin’s books will return for a six-episode eighth and final season in 2019.

http://deadline.com/2018/01/game-of-thrones-return-eighth-final-season-in-2019-1202235654/

HBO boss: Game of Thrones won’t return until 2019 because “these things take time,” and showrunners are “perfectionists” (http://ew.com/tv/2018/01/11/game-of-thrones-2019/)

“Here’s what I’ll tell you: They take the time they need to do the show at its highest level of quality,” HBO programming chief Casey Bloys tells EW. “As the show has gone on, it’s gotten bigger — big battle scenes, big special effects. These things take time. Here’s the one thing I can assure you: Dan and Dave were not sitting around on a beach waiting to go back to work. They’re perfectionists and this is the soonest it can come back at a level of quality that they are comfortable with.”

ALSO:

Game of Thrones prequels won’t premiere until at least 2020 (http://www.indiewire.com/2018/01/game-of-thrones-spinoffs-hbo-2020-update-1201916647/)
Bloys says David Benioff and D.B. Weiss won’t proceed with Confederate for a year to a year and a half (http://deadline.com/2018/01/hbo-boss-game-of-thrones-prequels-timetable-confederate-status-1202241277/)
HBO hopes to start filming the long-awaited Deadwood movie in fall 2018 (http://tvline.com/2018/01/11/deadwood-movie-reunion-hbo-cast-airdate-premiere/)
Big Little Lies and True Detective are expected to return in 2019 (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hbos-casey-bloys-game-thrones-wait-big-little-lies-true-detective-returns-1074182)

http://tvline.com/2018/01/26/game-of-thrones-season-8-premiere-april-maisie-williams-hbo/

"We wrap in December and we air our first episode in April (2019),” Williams revealed (https://www.metro.news/maisie-williams-on-playing-goona-in-new-aardman-animation-early-man/910864/) in an interview with the British newspaper Metro. As TV Line points out, the final season had been expected to wrap by midsummer (http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/05/game-of-thrones-final-season-longer-filming/). So a December wrap date would stretch filming through the entire year. HBO has yet to confirm Game of Thrones’ final season timetable. Meanwhile, Williams adds: “That's a four-month turnaround for these huge episodes. There's a lot that goes into the final edit. You would not want to rush this season at all. We owe it to our audience and our fans to really do this final season to the best of our abilities."

Maisie Williams: My Game of Thrones premiere date quote is "completely false" (http://ew.com/tv/2018/01/26/game-thrones-final-season-april-2019/)
"Just a tweet letting you know this game of thrones release date 'quote' I've supposedly given is completely false and taken from an interview I did years ago," Williams tweeted of the British newspaper Metro interview that quoted her (http://i.imgur.com/PuDpTIQ.png) saying the final season will wrap filming in December and premiere in April 2019. HBO hasn't yet announced a premiere date for Season 8, saying only that it will air sometime in 2019 (https://www.tvtattle.com/item/HBO-boss-Game-of-Thrones-won-t-return-until-2019-because-these-things-take-time-and-showrunners-are-perfectionists-62S7j7).