The first full Game of Thrones Season 5 trailer has been released online following its premiere at IMAX screenings for the final two episodes of Season 4. The trailer is action-packed and filled with massive visual effects, which makes sense since it played in IMAX. But even without the set pieces, there's still plenty of compelling drama.
What I find most interesting about this trailer is that it conveys a sense of hope, a concept that seems antithetical to the "Every character you love will die," ethos of the series thus far. Even though the cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" is still a bit ominous, there are still moments that look inspirational as opposed to previous taglines like "The night is dark and full of terrors," and "Anyone can be killed." Since showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are starting to seriously break away from George R.R. Martin's books, it will be exciting for readers and non-readers to share in the surprises.
Watch the trailer below, click here to check out over 15 images from the new season, and click here to find out what the fact that The Winds of Winter won't be published in 2015 means for the show.
Game of Thrones Season 5 premieres April 12th.