There is bittersweet news for "Game of Thrones" fans out there: Sophie Turner just revealed when the show is returning to HBO, but it is still a long way off.
In an interview with Variety, the actress, who plays boss lady extraordinaire Sansa Stark on the show, confirmed that "Game of Thrones" season 8 would premiere in 2019. When asked whether she was looking forward to the final episodes arriving at the same time as her film "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" next year, she clarified that: "'Game of Thrones"' comes out in 2019. 'Dark Phoenix' is in November."
For reference, the seventh season premiered on July 16 and concluded Aug. 27 of this year, meaning it could go two whole years between Thrones season 8, even though the final one is only six episodes long.
There were already hints that it would be a long time until the show returns to the small screen. For starters, the filming has been delayed by three months for the aid of real-life wintry weather. The filming is also expected to take longer than usual because of the complex battles included in the finale. What is more is that there will only be one production unit this time.
As Iain Malcolm, aka Jorah Mormont on the show, previously explained: "We're all starting to be in the same storylines and so they can't have two filming units anymore. I think this last season will take much longer to shoot because they can only use one unit, because we're all in the same sort of scenes."
Then again, Turner's statement is not official. HBO has not yet announced the release date of season 8, so this could be an errant slip of the tongue since everyone has already been speculating that it may not come out next year. However, if there is anyone who knows the inside scoop, it is Turner.
For now, filming is in full swing. According to the actress, they still have six or seven months of production left, so they should not be done until summer. That and the extended post-production time for the heavy amount of special effects put the "Game of Thrones" season 8 premiere dangerously close to 2019.
