The final season of Game of Thrones won't be hitting the airwaves anytime this year, but fans may now be a little closer to learning the premiere date of Season 8 courtesy of one of the stars. Maisie Williams, who has played Arya Stark from the very first episode, possibly revealed the series' return month in a recent interview. Williams had this to say about when the first episode of the final season will air:
We wrap in December and we air our first episode in April [2019]. That's a four-month turnaround for these huge episodes. There's a lot that goes into the final edit. You would not want to rush this season at all. We owe it to our audience and our fans to really do this final season to the best of our abilities.
Maisie Williams may be getting a call from HBO soon regarding her statement. Announcing the premiere month of Game of Thrones may not have been intended at this point, although April 2019 hasn't been confirmed. With production still underway and the scores of things that can go wrong and halt filming for any period of time between now and December, Williams' quote that the series will air in April of 2019 could become inaccurate rather easily. Williams probably gave a tentative premiere date to Metro in her interview, which could have been something she heard that was for her ears only and not the general public.
Bottom line, Maisie Williams could be right on the money for when Game of Thrones returns, but this isn't the confirmed premiere month until HBO says so. If Williams did spill the beans, she shouldn't feel too bad; she's not the only Game of Thrones actress to drop a date that HBO might not have wanted out there. Last month, Sophie Turner revealed the series was expected to return in 2019 before HBO got the opportunity to make the announcement. Turner's statement ultimately ended up being validated by HBO, so its possible the network will soon do the same for Williams.
Whether or not HBO will confirm or deny Maisie Williams' timetable for the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 remains to be seen. As previously mentioned, the show is still early in production on the final season, and with things not wrapping up until December, a lot can happen that could push that premiere date further into 2018. For example, actors and actresses can get injured, scandals can surface, and weather conditions can delay filming.
The list is really endless for things that can cause delays on a show, which may be why HBO had only previously confirmed the release year for the new season. Given the unpredictability of how production will progress, it wouldn't be surprising if HBO just opts to remain silent and lets folks speculate on the date until production develops a little further.
Game of Thrones Season 8 is confirmed to arrive on HBO in 2019. For a look at a whole bunch of shows that will premiere or return to television before then, be sure to head on over to our midseason premiere guide and find some new favorites to help ease the wait between new episodes of Game of Thrones!
