HBO has released a new Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer, offering a more extensive look at footage from the final season of the most popular series in the pay cable network's history. There is plenty to speculate on, but what we do know for certain is that Season 8 will consist of a mere 6 episodes. However, they will all be extended in length, so prepare for more 90-minute episodes. Directors for these final episodes are: Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the iconic "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards" episodes as well as "The Winds of Winter"; David Nutter, who directed the episodes "The Rains of Castamere" and the final two Season 5 episodes "The Dance of Dragons" and "Mother's Mercy"; and Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who have only technically directed one episode previously, the Season 4 premiere "Two Swords".

Previously, co-executive producer Bryan Cogman said that the final season “is about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death. It’s an incredibly emotional haunting bittersweet final season and I think it honors very much what [author George R.R. Martin] set out to do — which is flipping this kind of story on its head.”

This trailer is all about the big battle, which is fine. That's what Game of Thrones is at this point now that it can afford to do battles. Back when it was starting out and the budget was limited, the show had to rely heavily on conversations and off-screen fights, but now that it's one of the biggest hits in TV history, they can afford to pull out all the stops. The Army of the Dead is a fearsome antagonist, but the real question is there anything beyond "Who lives and who dies?" What kind of story are they trying to tell beyond this last big battle? That remains to be seen.

Check out the new Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer below. The series will return for one last ride April 14 and stars, among others, Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maisie Williams, Gwendoline Christie, and Peter Dinklage.

For more Game of Thrones, click the links below to our recent stories:

game-of-thrones-season-8-image-11
Image via HBO
game-of-thrones-season-8-image-9
Image via HBO
game-of-thrones-season-8-image-4
Image via HBO