Has 'Game Of Thrones' Season 8 Been Delayed? Potential New Release Date Details

Fans of "Game of Thrones" have known for a while that they were going to have to wait until 2019 to see the final episodes of the megahit HBO series. However, hopes that it would air earlier in the year may have just been smashed by the cable channel itself.

In a shock move, HBO announced Thursday that for the first time, neither "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld" would be participating at San Diego Comic-Con in July, which has always served as a major event to share details about the upcoming seasons of the shows. In a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter), the cable channel announced that the decision came due to the shows production schedules.

"Due to production schedules and air dates for 'Game of Thrones' and 'Westworld,' these series will not be presented at San Diego Comic-Con this summer," the statement read. "HBO has a longstanding relationship with SDCC, and we are very grateful for the fans' enthusiastic response over the years. We look forward to returning in the future."

What is noteworthy about the statement is that it says the production schedules and air dates for the shows are why they won't be showing at the annual convention. An air date for Season 8 of "Game of Thrones" has never been confirmed, though it's been widely speculated it would return in April 2019, the same month Season 1-6 all debuted on the channel. However, an April return date would have made the show's airdate eligible for discussion at this year's SDCC. A date that sees it returning later in 2019 would make it eligible for showing and discussion during 2019's SDCC, which will also take place in July.

If this is a sign that the show won't return until later in 2019, it will mean that fans of the series may be forced to wait up to two years total for the final episodes, as Season 7 came to a close on August 27, 2017.

Of course, the decision not to show at Comic-Con could also be another move by HBO to ensure that spoilers for the final season are not leaked ahead of the show's premiere. After being plagued by major spoilers every season, extreme measures have reportedly been taken to protect the finale from being leaked.

In a recent interview, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who portrays Jaime Lannister on the show, revealed that the show's scripts have become all digital copies and that once actors wrap a scene, the pages simply disappear, preventing them from being leaked.

"They're very, very strict," he said. "It's reached a crazy level this year. We actually get the scripts, and then when we've shot the scene—and we only have it digitally—and then when you've done the scene, it just vanishes. It's like 'Mission Impossible.' 'This will self-destruct.'"