HBO announces premiere date for season five of Game of Thrones

The powers that be at HBO have announced a Sunday, April 12 premiere date for the new season of Game of Thrones. The network did so in as bombastic a fashion as one can via Twitter–they invoked the double whammy of ravens and Breaking news in all caps:

BREAKING: #GoTSeason5 premieres Sunday, April 12 on @HBO. Send a raven and spread the word. pic.twitter.com/oFKemvhnlE

— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) January 8, 2015

 
In keeping with the tradition begun in seasons past, Sky Atlantic will broadcast the premiere exactly one day later, on 13 April, in the UK and Ireland.

 
If you simply cannot wait until the middle of by God April to get your Game of Thrones fix–and if you live in or will be near Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Stockholm, or Tel Aviv in February, you’re in luck. The show is mounting a traveling exhibition of artifacts and relics from the set–some 70 pieces of art and weaponry, all told–and offer more than a few clues as to what fans can expect from the new season.

And if that doesn’t satisfy you, you’ll also be able to go bigger: IMAX is going to show “The Watchers on the Wall” and “The Children,” the final two episodes of season four, for a full week at the end of January. The episodes have been re-formatted to fit the giant IMAX screens, and will be accompanied by an exclusive trailer for season five. The theater chain has yet to announce specific cities and screens, but promises a run at about 150 locations.

 
(Photo credit: Game of Thrones)