With the "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere confirmed for an April 12 release, the show's story draws closer to the latest of George R.R. Martin's novels. It was previously reported show-runners already have a game plan if ever the series reaches the end of the line with Martin yet to come out with a new "A Song of Fire and Ice" installment, though.
Details on the new season are mostly speculation, as well as anything involving a continuity if the show exhausts material from George R.R. Martin's novels. At the very least, the "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere will come this April; there will also be an IMAX screening for two episodes from the previous season, along with an exclusive trailer for season 5.
Fans can check out season 4's "The Watchers on the Wall" and "The Children" on IMAX in the US for one week starting January 23. The only confirmed detail for the exclusive season 5 trailer is that it won't feature Hodor and Bran.
Kristian Nairn plays Hodor in the series, and he explained their characters' hiatus from the show.
"We have a season off," he said in an Australian Broadcasting Company interview. "We have a year's hiatus... Solely because, I imagine, our storyline is up to the end of the books."
Nairn's comment brings up a concern for fans of the "Game of Thrones" and "A Song of Fire and Ice": what if the TV show catches up with George R.R. Martin's novels and the author has yet to come out with the next installment?
It's unlikely show-runners will wing it on the plot, and Martin previously hinted a plan is already in place if ever that happens. The series also roughly follows through on the novels' timeline, so there's still enough material to use without compromising the adaptation.
The "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere is expected to introduce new characters to the fold, particularly Prince Oberyn's Sand children (rollingstone.com).
