Well, the dragon’s out of the bag now. After Game of Thrones let slip that fan-favorite director Miguel Sapochnik might return for the final season, HBO has stepped up to confirm his and another revered helmer taking on Season 8. Plus – who’s directing the series finale?

Per Entertainment Weekly, “Battle of the Bastards” and “Winds of WinterEmmy-winner Sapochnik is officially back for Season 8, having sat out the seventh year over scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s Altered Carbon. Fellow Thrones Emmy-winner David Nutter (“The Rains of Castamere”) will also direct an unknown number of episodes in the final season.

Why unknown? Because showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss will make a joint directorial effort in helming the Game of Thrones series finale (and its many endings). Thrones directors typically helm two episodes each year, so it isn’t clear how the remaining five slot out between Sapochnik and Nutter (EW suggests Sapochnik might helm three).

For the moment, we know Game of Thrones Season 8 production will kick off in October, though it remains unclear how many episodes are expected to reach the same feature-length as Season 7’s finale. A premiere window has not been confirmed either, which means Sapochnik, Nutter, Weiss and Benioff’s final episodes could arrive in either 2018 or 2019.

We’ll see if HBO offers any official clarification on the timeline, but are Game of Thrones’ final episodes in the best possible hands? (Miss you, Michelle MacLaren)

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