Game of Thrones Won't Be Back This Year

Game of Thrones fans are going to have to wait a while for the final season—and it's only going to be six episodes long. HBO has confirmed that the final installment of its biggest-ever hit won't be released until some time in 2019, the Guardian reports. It will be shorter than previous series, though some episodes may be extra-long. Production of Season 8 began in October and is expected to wrap up in mid-2018. Producers say multiple endings will be filmed to avoid leaks. The move gives George RR Martin more time to finish the next book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, though the HBO series is still expected to reveal the end of the saga before his final book is released. Martin is also involved with five Game of Thrones prequels now in development, reports Entertainment Weekly. (More Game of Thrones stories.)