Devastating fan theory arrives with new 'Game of Thrones' season eight teaser and release date

The new – and final – season of Game of Thrones will arrive on April 14, it’s been confirmed in a teaser from HBO.

But as these things often are, it’s been accompanied by a truly devastating fan theory.

The eerie clip shows Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark in the crypt of Winterfell, usually a place for quiet reflection with the effigies of their ancestors.

They gaze upon the statues that will one day immortalise them, as they did their father Ned, mother Catelyn and aunt Lyanna, Jon’s real mother.

But soon, the icey advance of the Night King envelops the crypt, and swords are drawn.

Perhaps not likely an actual scene from the next season – though it could be a dream sequence – it’s a look into their future, but it may also foreshadow something unpleasant.

FAN SPOILERS AHEAD…

To a certain interpretation, it may be a hint that the end is coming sooner for Arya and Sansa than for Jon Snow.

As spotted by eagle-eyed fans, both Arya and Sansa’s statues still appear young, where Jon’s is aged… could this mean an untimely end for the sisters, once cast to the corners of Westeros and only recently reunited?

It doesn’t bear thinking about.

But there will be some shocks on the road ahead, as the series approaches its climax.

Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said that filming the final scenes ‘broke’ the series’ stars.

“The last season of Game of Thrones seemed to be thought up to break us!” he told GQ.

“Everyone was broken at the end, I don’t know if we were crying because we were sad that it was over or we were crying because it was really exhausting.”

The last series will be shorter than the previous 10-episode seasons, clocking in with just six, though each will be longer than normal.

HBO boss Richard Pepler told Variety: “It’s a spectacle. The guys have done six movies. The reaction I had while watching them was, ‘I’m watching a movie’.

“They’ve exceeded the bar. I’ve watched them twice without any CGI and I’m in awe. Everybody’s in for an extraordinary treat of storytelling and of magical, magical production.”

Read more
The Rock says ‘Generation Snowflake’ interview never happened
Red Notice delayed
Oscar favourite hit by controversy