'Game of Thrones' star Sophie Turner says fans will have to wait until 2019 for season 8

Helen Sloan/HBO

• HBO's "Game of Thrones" is currently in filming its eighth and final season.
• In a new interview with Variety, Sophie Turner (Sansa) said it will come out in 2019.
• Based on previous reporting, this was always likely.
• The coming episodes may be feature-film length, and need more post-production work.
• HBO has not confirmed any air date, and did not immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.

Winter is definitely here, but the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones" won't be arriving for quite some time. In a new interview with Variety, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) said "'Game of Thrones' comes out in 2019."

This aligns with our previous reporting on the season 8 release date. Production began slightly later than in previous years, plus each of the final episodes could be feature-film length (remember that epic one-hour-and-20-minute finale last season?). 

HBO

HBO has not commented on the planned release date of season eight, and representatives didn't immediately return INSIDER's request for comment. Typically the premiere dates are left a mystery until several months before the new season airs. 

But we have received some hints. In June of this year, Entertainment Weekly's James Hibberd spoke with HBO programming president Casey Bloys about the final season and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

When Hibberd asked if "the final season could air in 2018 and/or in 2019 depending on [Weiss and Benioff's] needs," Bloys said, "Yeah."

"They have to write the episodes and figure out the production schedule," Bloys said. "We'll have a better sense of that once they get further into the writing."

HBO

We also know the director lineup for season eight, which should thrill any diehard fan of "Game of Thrones."

HBO confirmed with INSIDER that the final six episodes will be helmed by David Nutter, Miguel Sapochnik, and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Though we don't know details of the episode order or length, an individual with knowledge of the situation tells INSIDER that Benioff and Weiss themselves will likely direct the final episode of the series.

Based on both Bloys and Turner's comments, plus the epic scale of this final season, our bets are on a Spring 2019 premiere for the final season of "Game of Thrones." For those of you impatient to learn the fates of your favorite characters, read our list of 21 key predictions we have for season eight in the meantime.

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