In the words of the great Aegon Targaryen (read: Jon Snow), there is only one war that matters, and it is here.
The White Walkers are on the march, and with them comes an undead army the likes of which we’ve never seen before – they’ve got a fricking dragon, for crying out loud! And so begins Game of Thrones season 8, the final installment in HBO’s fantasy epic that is due to premiere on April 14th, 2019.
Yes, you read that right: the Thrones finale now has an official launch date, and sure enough, fans are already counting down the days before the likes of Jon, Arya and Daenerys Targaryen are back in action. Indeed, to coincide with Sunday’s big announcement, HBO dropped a spooky teaser trailer in which the Stark children (minus Bran) journey into the crypts of Winterfell, where they encounter key figures from the past – namely Lyanna, Catelyn and Eddard Stark – and a mysterious force from the future.
We are, of course, referring to the Night King (AKA death personified), and it seems a lot of Thrones viewers are beginning to lose their collective shit in the aftermath of Sunday’s teaser. See for yourself:
& on that note @GameOfThrones is coming back APRIL 14 pic.twitter.com/7OZbCBMrJj
— Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) January 14, 2019
Me @ game of thrones s8 teaser pic.twitter.com/UzXRF2EARF
— steph (@lanadel_ren) January 14, 2019
— Shahbaz Khan (@ShahbazMKhan) January 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/pettyyonceh/status/1084634609948729346
that feather needed to fall off at some point. #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/ZlUKyG5BfD
— osha (@oshawildling) January 14, 2019
JON WALKING BESIDE LYANNA'S STATUE I'M CRYING 😭😭 #GameOfThrones #ForTheThrone pic.twitter.com/w75oft48hk
— ℝίτα⚡ (@JonxDanyy) January 14, 2019
True to their word, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have included a ton of subtle callbacks to Westeros past, including the lone feather placed next to Lyanna’s statue. Also worth noting is the fact that Jon’s statue appears much older than that of Arya or Sansa’s – perhaps it’s a clue?
Whatever the case, the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones premieres on April 14th, and when it does, viewers will be treated to six super-sized episodes as the network’s Song of Ice and Fire begins to reach its crescendo. There’s only one question that remains: will you be tuning in?
