What we know about the final season of Game of Thrones so far

Whether Game of Thrones (GoT) author George RR Martin has been feverishly pounding away at his keyboard or taking many snack breaks (have you seen the size of the man?), fans of the series have waited long enough and have tons of questions about the series finale.

What will become of Jon Snow now that he’s slept with Aunty Daenerys? Will the White Walkers triumph since they have giants and dragons? Will Arya kill the incestuous Cersie? And, when the hell is the final season going to finally air? These are just some of the questions fans have as they ready themselves to settle into their own Long Night.

While we may not have all the answers, we have done our best to source some reliable responses to other equally important concerns about the upcoming last season.

John Snow and Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Picture: HBO

When will it air?

HBO announced that the show is set to air in the US on April 14, which means if you have DStv you can probably watch it the same time in South Africa or stream off your favourite link the next day.

Is there a trailer for season eight?

After one or two teaser snippets leading up to the official release date, HBO then aired their longest teaser trailer. And we love it. You can view it below.

Why did we have to wait so long?

A couple of reasons spring to mind as to why season eight of GoT took so long: a desire to film in the winter months to properly show off a Westerosi winter, and the show-runners’ plan to spend a bit longer working on the final episodes.

What can we expect in the finale?

The series is, as always, shrouded in secrecy. But if the jaw-dropping ending of season seven can be used as a reference, we expect much of season eight to be centred on an epic battle.

We are confident Cersei will recruit The Golden Company, the legendary mercenary army who appeared in an unused storyline from Martin’s novels and who were referenced multiple times in season seven.

Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. Picture: HBO

Jon’s true identity as the rightful King of Westeros will definitely be a topic. Other than that, we are as much in the dark as most fans.

However, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays Jaime Lannister) told Esquire that the whole thing could leave a few characters being turned to the side of the undead.

“You know some of the main characters are going to get turned. There are going to be some blue-eyed main characters running around,” he said when asked about the final season.

In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, former GoT star Jasom Mamoa (who played Khal Drogo) said: “It [season eight] is going to be the greatest thing that’s ever aired on TV.”

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