The end is coming. Game of Thrones fans have been patiently waiting for the show to return for its final season, and now, there’s a time frame.
Casey Bloys — the president of HBO — revealed at the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour on Wednesday, July 25, that the final six episodes of the show that make up season 8 will premiere in the “first half” of 2019. The premium cable network had announced in January that the final season of the fantasy series would be shorter than previous seasons.
The conclusion of the popular show won’t only be heart-wrenching for fans. Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, revealed in October 2017 that while reading the script, the highly anticipated ending made him emotional. Referencing his character’s famous catchphrase, ”You know nothing, Jon Snow,” he said on The One Show, “We had the read through last week, in fact, so I know everything now. But I cried at the end.”
The show — which premiered in 2011 and is based on George R. R. Martin’s best-selling series A Song of Ice and Fire — has spawned a lot of close relationships. Harington and costar Rose Leslie — who played Jon Snow’s love interest — married in June 2018. Their costars Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner and Emilia Clarke attended the nuptials.
Meanwhile, Williams, who plays Arya Stark, recently got a “No One” tattoo — referencing her character’s training with the Faceless Man — to commemorate her experience on the show. That wasn’t her first piece of ink in honor of the beloved series. In 2016, she and Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, got tattoos that read “07.08.09,” the day both of them were cast for the show.
That’s not the only bond the actresses who play sisters share together: Williams will also be a bridesmaid in Turner’s upcoming wedding to Joe Jonas.
