The Game of Thrones season 8 premiere date is officially set for April 2019. Since first airing in 2011, HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels has become arguably the biggest show on television, with fans across the world wholly invested in the trials and tribulations of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister and many, many others. In recent seasons, the TV show has even overtaken Martin's book series and was subsequently announced to be concluding with its eighth season.
Having previously aired at a rate of one season per year, Thrones fans had to endure a long 2018 as they awaited the show's concluding chapter, which took longer than usual to produce, despite being confirmed as only six episodes long (though they'll be longer than typical episodes). Game of Thrones' producers have gone to extreme efforts to avoid leaks and spoilers ahead of this season from drone-targeting guns to self-deleting scripts and this has so far paid off since the secrets of the final season currently still under wraps.
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However, it seems that fans won't have to wait too much longer to find out what those secrets are, as the official Game of Thrones Twitter has released a video that confirms the final season will premiere in April 2019. Alongside the accompanying hashtag "ForTheThrone" and set to an epic orchestral score, the video recaps key moments from Thrones' illustrious history such as The Battle of the Bastards, The Red Wedding and the execution of Ned Stark.
Given that several reports had previously suggested Game of Thrones season 8 would actually end up airing later in 2019 than planned, the announcement of an April date will no doubt come as positive news to many fans. The premiere date also means the show returns to its traditional release period, with the majority of past seasons also beginning in April.
Releasing Game of Thrones' final season sooner rather than later is likely a wise move for several reasons. First, it decreases the chance of spoilers leaking ahead of the premiere and second, the longer fans have to wait for the show to return, the more anticipation will continue to build. Expectations for Thrones' final season are already extremely high and some might argue impossible to satisfy, any further delays will only drive that bar even higher.
Unfortunately, it appears that an exact date in April has yet to be decided so Game of Thrones viewers can't mark their calendars just yet, but at least they can start clearing their Spring evenings ahead of one final trip to Westeros.
More: Game Of Thrones Season 8: Every Reveal From The EW Cover Story
Game of Thrones season 8 premieres in April 2019 on HBO.
Source: HBO (via Twitter)