The official promo cycle for Game of Thrones' final season has kicked off. Entertainment Weekly's cover this week is the first HBO-sanctioned photo from Season 8 of the megahit fantasy series, which will premiere next year. It features Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), aunt and nephew/lovers, standing together in the snow. The Mother of Dragons has her black and white Cruella de Vil coat on, but the image doesn't reveal much else. The duo might be in White Harbor, the Northern city they were headed to at the end of Season 7.

Season 8 will consist of just six episodes, but the level of production value and attention to detail will be unparalleled. The season took ten months to shoot. "It's relentless; scenes that would have been a one-day shoot five years ago are now a five-day shoot," Kit Harington told EW. "They want to get it right, they want to shoot everything every single way so they have options."

"[Camera] checks take longer, costumes are a bit better, hair and makeup a bit sharper — every choice, every conversation, every attitude, has this air of 'this is it,'" Emilia Clarke said. "Everything feels more intense."

We can't wait. This is going to be one of the biggest things in TV history.

Check out the cover:

Photo: Entertainment Weekly



Game of Thrones Season 8 is coming to HBO in 2019.