Why does March suddenly seem so far away?
Maybe because HBO just released this behind-the-scenes featurette for the third season of Game of Thrones, which premieres March 31, 2013, and it looks epic. Which, as it turns out, is precisely the vibe creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are going for. "This is the season that Dan and I have been anticipating from the very beginning," Benioff says in the two-minute clip, which premiered last night before Boardwalk Empire's season finale.
"We always envisioned season three as sort of the place we needed to get," adds Weiss. "If we made it through season three, and if we could do season three right, then it would all be worthwhile."
In between shots of stunning locations as far-flung as Iceland and Morocco, the video offers fans of George R.R. Martin's elaborate fantasy world a glimpse of some of the season's most pivotal new characters, including Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg), the King Beyond the Wall (Ciaran Hinds), and the Reed siblings, Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Meera (Ellie Kendrick). Of course, breakout GOT favorites like Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) will also be back for a season that increasingly seems fit for a king—or queen.
"The game's been upped," Clarke promises. "There's so much more danger. There's so much more risk."
We're sold! Are you? Check out the clip below, then hit the comments to let us know!