It looks like Game of Thrones season 8 isn’t happening until 2019

As the cast and crew for Game of Thrones descend on Belfast to prepare to begin filming season 8, we finally get some concrete evidence that the show won’t return to HBO until 2019.

It seems like only yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the premiere of Game of Thrones season 7 in July, yet here we are in October, as the cast and crew begin preparations to start filming season 8, the show’s final season.

In that regard, actor Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth)  appeared at Wired Next Fest in Florence, Italy, where he spoke about Game of Thrones. There’s a lot to get through, but for the purposes of this piece, fast-forward to the 17:30 mark.

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Cunningham mentions the cast will meet this weekend where they will begin the table read for Game of Thrones season 8.

"We have the first table read on Sunday of three episodes, and on Monday we read the next three. Then we rehearse for the rest of that week with two of the directors. And then we start filming officially, either on the 16th or the 19th of October."

Cunningham also mentions that he believes the six episodes in season 8 will be longer and that, since the cast and crew should wrap filming of the toward the end of the summer, 2018, he thinks Game of Thrones will return at some point in 2019.

"I mean, you could [return in 2018], but it would look s**t…We don’t have a date, but it’s increasingly looking like it’s going to be 2019."

Next: The 35 Best Moments from Game of Thrones Season 7

So there you have it, the Long Night until Game of Thrones season 8 just got a whole lot longer.

H/T Winter is Coming