HBO confirmed today that, while winter might be here, you’re still going to be waiting a long damn time for any more Game Of Thrones. Per Variety, the network officially admitted today that the blockbuster series won’t be back on the airwaves this year; rather, the six-episode final season will arrive sometime in 2019. (Presumably in the late spring or summer, if past scheduling practices hold true.)
That lines up with what series star Sophie Turner told interviewers late last year, noting that filming on the season—which will feature a number of extra-length episodes to jam the grand finale into one tight, six-night package—is expected to continue through the middle of this year. Obviously, that’s a bummer for fans who were hoping to finally free themselves from the series’ insidious grasp by the end of 2018, but at least it gives us time to really refine our terrible fan theories—Gendry is the Prince Who Was Promised, pass it on—before the finale arrives.