By Ben Travis | Posted 15 Feb 2019

For 30 years, the cover of Empire has been a space reserved for all things big-screen – never before has a TV show taken pride of place. But then, there’s never been a TV show quite like Game Of Thrones – the most cinematic television series in history, conjuring a sprawling, richly-detailed fantasy realm, populated by a swathe of conniving queens, battle-hardy bastards, revolutionary rulers, and pint-sized psychopaths, all caught up in epic, sweeping storylines that confound expectations at every turn. It’s the defining fantasy story of the decade – and its fiery conclusion is destined to be a once-in-a-generation event.

That’s why you’ll find Game Of Thrones taking centre stage on Empire’s April 2019 edition, the first TV show ever to demand a cover – that, and Daenerys threatened to burn us all alive if we didn’t celebrate her beloved dragons (Viserion, RIP). The issue has tons of Thrones goodness inside, including brand new interviews with the cast, all-new director insights, a countdown of the series’ greatest moments, and much more. But before we reveal more on that front next week, feast your eyes on the covers. First up, the subscriber edition illustrated by Dan Mumford, depicts the army of the dead ready to march on Westeros.

And on the newsstands cover you’ll find the big-bad Night King in all his terrifying glory, flanked by our heroes Jon Snow – or, Aegon Targaryen as we might start having to call him – and his aunt-rival-lover (sheesh, that’s a complex relationship) Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First Of Her Name, Queen Of The Andals, Breaker of Chai- you get the idea.

Don’t worry, film fans – away from the Thrones celebrations, the rest of the April 2019 issue is dedicated to all things cinema, going on set of the DCEU’s latest, Shazam!, revisiting Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece Schindler’s List, meeting Hellboy’s new star David Harbour, and celebrating the genius career of Christopher Nolan for Empire 30. And, as you can see from the newsstand cover, this month’s mag also includes the brand new issue of our sister magazine Pilot TV, your guide to every quality TV show that matters. Find out more about the Huge Spring Preview – fronted by the hotly-anticipated return of Killing Eve – in due course.

Empire’s April 2019 edition hits newsstands on Thursday, 21 February. Order a copy of the issue online here.