It’s the beginning of the end, folks.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has today announced the directors assigned to Game of Thrones season 8 ahead of production getting underway late next month. Among the familiar faces are series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, while sources close to THR suggest that the duo will helm the series finale – one that won’t tee up those much-touted successor series, despite claims to the contrary.
Also included in that roster of talent are Miguel Sapochnik and David Nutter, who have amassed a number of notable directing credits on Thrones thanks to their work across seasons 5 and 6. Sapochnik, for instance, is the creative mind responsible for the chilling “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards,” an episode that many believe to be one of the very best in the show’s decorated history. On the other hand, David Nutter has helmed a total of six Game of Thrones instalments, including “The Dance of Dragons” and “Mother’s Mercy,” for which he won an Emmy award for directing excellence. So make no mistake, the eighth and final season of Thrones has been placed in safe, overly capable hands.
Comprised of six episodes in total, down from the standard run of 10, Game of Thrones season 8 looks set to deliver a fitting send-off to what has been one of the greatest TV shows of the modern era. With the Night King on the march – perched on an undead Viserion, no less – and Cersei plotting a potentially devastating betrayal, the power players of Westeros will come together in epic fashion in 2019. And there’s also the small matter of Jon Snow’s true parentage.
Now that the wheels are in motion, Game of Thrones is expected to return sometime in 2019, before HBO begins exploring a successor series based on the rich history and lore of Westeros. It’s still early days on those prequels, though we recently learned that George R.R. Martin is now collaborating with Bryan Cogman on a fifth story idea. Stay tuned for more.
