‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 confirmed for first half of 2019

Los Angeles: HBO’s president of programming Casey Bloys has revealed that the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones will premiere in the “first half” of 2019. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bloys made the revelation during the Television Critics Association press tour and also said the final season is “pretty great”.

“I’m not going to talk about what to expect (from the final season of Game of Thrones) although it’s pretty great. I don’t think we’ve announced a date yet so sometime in ’19 … first half,” Bloys said.

The HBO executive also talked about five Game of Thrones spin-offs and said that network is currently only working on one of them. “We are doing a pilot that Jane Goodman wrote. Out of five, we’d be lucky to get one that we’re very excited about it. We’re just starting the search for a director (and) casting director,” he said.

HBO has officially given a pilot order for a still-untitled Game of Thrones prequel, created by Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin, whose A Song of Ice and Fire novel series serves as the basis for the popular epic fantasy series.

Set thousands of years before the events of GoT, the prequel chronicles the world’s descent from the golden age of heroes into its darkest hour.

A logline from the network teased the plot without divulging any details. “Only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend—it’s not the story we think we know.”

The pilot is based on a story from Goldman and Martin, with teleplay credited to Goldman. Goldman will also serve as showrunner, reported Variety.

The hit epic fantasy series first premiered in 2011 and its eighth season will marks its culmination. The show is based on the hit book series by George R.R. Martin.