The release date for Game of Thrones' final season hasn't been confirmed, but we do know it will be coming in 2019. There were some quotes attributed to Maisie Williams (who plays Arya Stark on the show) where she seemed to imply that we'd be seeing the first episode in April of that year, but she quickly backtracked on those comments. However, I think it's a fair bet to say that it is now less than a year away.
The excitement that builds before each season of Game of Thrones is monumental, with fans all over the world having heated discussions with friends and on Reddit, trying to figure out what elaborate theory holds up the best. But as far as I can see, we don't really know much at all about the final season in terms of its story.
Sure, we know that the armies of the living will have to face the undead soldiers of the Night King, who has now destroyed the wall and has his own zombie dragon to help wipe out all life. We know that Daenerys has made an alliance with Jon Snow and his Northern soldiers, but that Cersei is likely to betray them all at any minute.
But it would all be a little disappointing if we were given a predictable conclusion to the show - after all, that's never really been Game of Thrones' style.
Speaking to Vanity Fair recently, Emilia Clarke spoke about the show and what it's like to play Daenerys, and even touched on how things would end. "It f***ed me up," she explained. "Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone's mouth of what Daenerys is... I'm doing all this weird sh*t - you'll know what I mean when you see it."
Many of Game of Thrones' castmembers have spoken about their feelings about the show coming to an end, mostly because it's all anyone wants to ask them at the moment. A lot of them talk about how emotional it was reading f the final episode's script, while others have hinted that they may even be filming multiple endings just to avoid spoilers.
Yet recently we've heard from one of the former residents of Westeros - Richard Madden. Speaking to Men's Health recently, the actor - who played Robb Stark in the first three seasons of the show - talked about his career and how he feels about the show now:
"You know, I don't think I can quite feel the weight of it [ending]. But I am excited.
"I'm excited for that story to come to an end. It played out so rich, so beautifully, so full. It's exciting when you're able to get to the end of a story and then you get to leave it. You get to say goodbye to something for good."
Reading between the lines, it seems that while Madden might be sitting down to watch it with the rest of us, he may have different reasons for doing so. I imagine that once it's all over, he'll be able to get on with his life without being bombarded with questions about a show he hasn't worked on in five years.