When does Game of Thrones season 8 premiere?

Game of Thrones season 7 concluded with some pretty dramatic developments and it’s going to take a bit for all the drama to sink in for fans. But once it does, what we really want to know is: When does season 8 start?

After season 7 only had seven episodes, season 8 is only set to have six. Though if those six are anything like the last few episodes of season 7, they will be more like mini movies than TV episodes. Sunday night’s finale for example was a hearty 79 minutes and 43 seconds. According to Collider, season 8 is set to get underway filming-wise in October, or at least that’s what Nikolaj Coster-Waldau said in an interview.

So if October is when filming begins and if we’re going by when previous seasons have dropped in comparison to their production dates, that would put the premiere of season 8 somewhere near the end of 2018 or maybe even the beginning on 2019. HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys confirmed to Entertainment Weekly back in June that that timeline was roughly correct then went on to say:

"The show has proven that TV is every bit as impressive and in many cases more so, than film. What they’re doing is monumental. When you see these battles in season 7, and what I imagine season 8 will be, it’s a big, big show. We’ve done a lot of great shows, but this one combines the complex characters we love with a huge cinematic scope."

Bloys also emphasized that all buzzed-about spin-offs and prequels and sequels won’t get up and running until after season 8 has been completed.

Next: Game of Thrones season 7 finale recap: The Dragon and the Wolf

With all that unfolded in the season 7 finale (Littlefinger gets his comeuppance! Jon and Dany! Ice dragon!), it’ll be a long wait to find out what happens next, but we’re confident the Game of Thrones team will make it worth our while. At least, they better.