HBOIt's been a long, cold winter as we've waited for the real winter to come...Game of Thrones' winter, that is! It's been one full year since we've journeyed to the land of Westeros for new episodes of HBO's hit fantasy drama and now, our wait is finally over, as season five premieres this Sunday.
This is the season we've all been waiting for, book enthusiasts and non-book readers alike, as the show has caught up to where George R. R. Martin's novels have stopped, and it's become a fact that this season is going to feature stories that haven't been in the books...yet. No one truly knows what's going to happen (besides Martin and the showrunners, of course), so for the first time since this show premiered, we're all in this together!
That's why E! News rounded up the cast at the Game of Thrones season five red carpet premiere in San Francisco to see what they could reveal about what's coming up this season.
The mastermind behind all of Game of Thrones, Martin, promises that there are going to be some major surprises for book readers...including the fates of some characters who everyone thinks are safe.
"Yes, there will be [surprises]," Martin tells E! News. "[Executive producers] David [Benioff] and Dan [D. B. Weiss] are bloodier than I am so no one is safe here. Even characters who are still alive in the books will die in the series. What can you do? Hold on to your seats and hope it's not your favorite character who winds up beheaded or disemboweled or poisoned."
Press play on the video below to see what Kit Harington revealed about Jon Snow's season five journey:
Benioff and Weiss can't wait for this season to premiere, because some characters will finally get to reunite.
"We've been looking forward to this season for a long time because for so long, the worlds of the show have been separate. There's the east and the west and they've never come together, and finally, this season, west meets east," Weiss says. "Without spoilers, the end of season four saw a couple of major characters sailing east. It's just so fun for us to write for these characters that we know and we love so well at this point when they start to encounter other characters that we know and we love so well that they haven't met before. That's one of the really exciting things to see for season five."
Because of the upcoming reunions and deviations from the books, Benioff is excited to see what viewers think of season five.
"It should be the most surprising season so far if we didn't screw it up, which is definitely possible," Benioff says with a laugh. "We'll find out in about two months!"
Press play on the video below to see what Emilia Clarke teased about what's coming up for Daenerys:
One of the biggest changes in season five is all thanks to Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), as he just murdered his father and escaped King's Landing with Varys (Conleth Hill).
"I killed our father, so that's definitely going to put a damper on things," Dinklage says of how his brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) feels about what he did. "He definitely didn't release me to do that, so that's a bit of a shocker, I'm sure."
And even though Tyrion made it out of King's Landing without getting caught, there will be major ramifications from Cersei (Lena Headey) for murdering their father.
"They want my head," Dinklage says. "I'm a wanted man. My strategy? Go far away and make new friends." (Certain dragon-motherin' new friends.)
Dinklage revealed he's happy that he got to work with new cast members this season, meaning Tyrion is about to meet some characters he's never been in scenes with before!
"It's incredible," Dinklage says. "I got to work with some new people this season that I've only met at these events and it's just lovely to share the screen with them at last."
Press play on the video below to see what Coster-Waldau had to say about Jaime's journey this season:
As for Tyrion's traveling partner Varys, Hill teased that the quiet schemer has big plans ahead of him this season.
"He's leaving everything he's known for the last many years and all the security that held for him," Hill tells E! News. "He's branching off and that's a huge decision. By his account, it's always for the good of the realm. He doesn't like the way it's being run at the moment so he's seeing if he can head hunt elsewhere."
Another character undergoing major changes this season is Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), who failed to keep Arya (Maisie Williams) safe and is still searching for Sansa (Sophie Turner).
"This season, we start to perhaps look a little bit at the darker elements of Brienne of Tarth," Christie tells E! News. "But that's what makes her human."
Press play on the video below to check out what Turner revealed about Sansa's darker season five journey as well:
One thing season five won't have? The bromance between Tyrion and his sellsword Bronn (Jerome Flynn), now that Tyrion is on the run.
"What does Bronn do without Tyrion?" Flynn previews. "It was a big moment for him when he turned down Tyrion. So he's really moving on. Now he's got this plan which involves the lovely Lollys Stokeworth, who is very sweet, and their plan is to get married. Lollys has got a sister with a big castle and he's got his eyes on that castle. He's going to use his ways to get that castle, have a family and his own sigil."
Of course, things aren't going to be so easy for Bronn.
"It doesn't go quite that way. He gets distracted and he goes on another adventure," Flynn says. "He has to get the sword out and fight a few more battles, which I am pleased about. There will definitely be women involved. There are some really cool fights coming up, but I have to be careful about how much I give away. It's a lovely season."
Press play on the video below to see what Dean-Charles Chapman teased about King Tommen's story this season:
And press play on the videos below to check out what Liam Cunningham told us about Melisandre and Davos Seaworth's chances in the upcoming war for the Seven Kingdoms and what Hannah Murray revealed about Gilly's situation going into season five:
Game of Thrones premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.