Although no release date for the final season of 'Game Of Thrones' has been confirmed by HBO apart from some time in 2019, some information has slipped out of the castle walls in the meantime.
The first rumours suggested that some time in April of 2019 may be the answer, but those were quickly denied by both the person they were attributed to - Maisie Williams, also known as Arya Stark - and by HBO themselves.
The latest batch, however, looks to be a bit more solid. According to an interview on HuffPo with one of the show's visual effects supervisors, Joe Bauer, the release date of the eighth season of 'Game Of Thrones' will not be until after May 2019.
According to Bauer, the show won't be eligible for the 2019 Emmys as the visual effects work won't be finished until May at the earliest. The Emmys, for each year, have a cut-off point of May 31st meaning that the show has to air by May in order it to eligible.
"We’re going to be toiling away on Season 8 until May of 2019, so it’s eight or nine months away," said Bauer, adding that "the prequel is starting to shoot in February, at least the pilot. So we’ll still have quite a lot to do on Season 8 when they’re beginning.
The prequel Baufer's referring to is of course the Jane Goldman-penned script which will be set in the Age of Heroes some 10 thousand years before the events of 'Game Of Thrones'. No casting has taken place as of yet for that show, but given how it's the follow-up to one of the biggest TV shows in history, they're not going to be short of interested parties for it.
So, there, you have it - no 'Thrones' until the second half of 2019.
