First Poster For Game Of Thrones Season 8 Teases The Beginning Of The End

Send a raven, for HBO has quietly launched its official promotional campaign for Game of Thrones season 8.

As the eighth and final installment of HBO’s Song of Ice and Fire, there’s a tremendous amount of excitement swirling around Westeros, as curious viewers attempt to figure out who lives, who dies, and who will be left facing a fate worse than death, which is to say that the Night King will likely resurrect one or two big-name characters as zombified Wights. In fact, Viserion may well be the first of many lost souls to fall into the cold, decaying hands of the Night King, who was last seen leading an undead army beyond the wall and into the northerly kingdoms.

But Daenerys Targaryen still has an ace in the hole in Drogon, the fierce, fire-breathing behemoth who has now reached the size of a jumbo jet. It’s part of the reason why Thrones‘ teasing first poster only features three houses: Targaryen, Stark, and Lannister. Feast thy eyes:

On the other side of the lens, long-time showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who recently landed a coveted Star Wars gig between them, headline HBO’s roster of directors for Game of Thrones season 8. It’ll only be comprised of six episodes in total, with Miguel Sapochnik (“Battle of the Bastards”) and David Nutter (“The Dance of Dragons”), expected to helm those other feature-length installments that Benioff and Weiss leave by the wayside.

Now that the wheels are in motion – word is HBO’s Song of Ice and Fire will reach the finish line before the year’s end – Game of Thrones will stage its last hurrah in April of 2019. And after that? A successor series of some sorts, given HBO is already exploring multiple TV pitches rooted in the rich, sprawling landscape of Westeros.