Leaked 'Game of Thrones' season eight cast list reveals key character is missing from the premiere

It's been almost two years since Game of Thrones was last on our screens, and - not to be dramatic or anything - but a lot of us fans are literally aching for a fix of something new. Thankfully, there's only two months to wait now - and each day that passes brings with it a little more information of what we can expect from the long-awaited finale.

In one of the most recent developments, HBO accidentally revealed who would be appearing in the premier of season eight after a cast list was leaked. Pretty much all of the big names are set to appear; Lena Headey (Cersei), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), and all three of the remaining Stark/Snow siblings are credited, as are many of the smaller parts that we might not have expected to see so early on (though some fans think they might be there to get killed off early on).

It came as a surprise, however, to find one name missing from the list: Vladimir Furdik, the actor who plays the Night King.

Credit: HBO

Given that the last season culminated with the white walkers storming the wall, it's rather strange (and also a little disappointing) to know that we won't be picking up exactly where we left off.

Will we get to see the aftermath of the destruction? Will we know who survived? Do we have to wait even longer to see more zombie dragon action?

Well, it seems that way, as there have been a few hints that the team behind Game of Thrones are saving some of the more dramatic moments for later on in the season. In fact, we already know that a huge battle is going to take place in the last few episodes, as Furdik leaked some details of it to Sorozat Wiki, a Hungarian publication.

"In the third part of the last season, there is a battle that the creators intend to be the biggest in television history," he said. "Almost the full episode will be about the battle, it will take about an hour."

Interestingly, though, Kristofer Hivju - the actor who plays Tormund Giantsbane - has been confirmed as being in the first episode, which *hopefully* means that he survived the destruction of the wall and somehow lives long enough to flee the oncoming army.

Credit: HBO

The cast have obviously been sworn to secrecy when it comes to details of the final season, but some actors have given a little insight into what goes down.

"I think people will be surprised at every turn this season," said Lena Headey, who also added that, "it's just frustrating when you do interviews for Thrones and actually can't say anything."

Meanwhile, Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), said that actually making the last episodes was emotionally draining.

"Everyone was broken at the end. I don't know if we were crying because we were sad it was ending or if we were crying because it was so f*****g tiring. We were sleep deprived.

"It was like it was designed to make you think, Right, I’m f*****g sick of this. I remember everyone walking around towards the end going, 'I've had enough now. I love this, it's been the best thing in my life, I'll miss it one day - but I'm done.'"

So, while the Night King may not be in episode one of the new season, it certainly sounds like he's about to wreak havoc on Westeros later on. These next two months can't go by fast enough!