Fans hoping for an early winter in Westeros may soon be disappointed. Game of Thrones season 8 had been rumored to have an April 2019 premiere on HBO. However, a new interview with Game of Thrones‘ visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer indicated he and his team are only beginning to work on the eighth and final season. And he added that they are scheduled to work on the series until May 2019.
“In two years we’ll be eligible for the Season 8 work, which we’re just beginning now,” said Bauer, while speaking with The Huffington Post. “We’re going to be toiling away on season 8 until May of 2019, so it’s eight or nine months away…But 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.”
To add context to Bauer’s comments, he was talking about Game of Thrones‘ Emmy eligibility. For the 2019 Emmys, only television shows airing before May 31, 2019 can be considered. That means he’s already looking ahead at the 2020 Emmys, which would place the final season on HBO’s schedule after May 2019.
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It’s possible that HBO could debut a few episodes in May 2019, but it’s far more likely that the cable powerhouse will make one last awards season push for the show. If so, a summer premiere is a strong possibility. However, HBO could easily hold the episodes for a fall debut as well. From the network’s perspective, there’s really no need to rush the final season.
Bauer also offered a few encouraging words about how the show will wrap up its epic storyline. “I thought [the ending] was really brave,” related Bauer. “I thought it’d be interesting to see. It’s very true to what Thrones is, and knowing how it ends, I don’t actually see how it could end any other way….looking at it objectively, I think the way it ends is the way it must end, so I’m just going to leave it at that.”
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