Game Of Thrones Season 7 Premiere Date Revealed

After an especially long winter, HBO has finally announced when the seventh and penultimate season of Game of Thrones will be upon us.

The season premiere will be July 16. The reveal was made slowly and theatrically during a Facebook Live broadcast. The date was concealed within a block of ice that melted away thanks to help from a pair of blowtorches (or dragons, if you want to believe) prompted by fans commenting "fire." Watch it below.

Production for season 7 was delayed several weeks so that the crew could film in Europe while the weather was cold and bleak, to better reflect that winter really has come to Westeros.

Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have remained tight-lipped about the storyline, but HBO announced that the season will be just seven episodes, instead of the usual 10. Even the cast were initially left in the dark about the plot until they received the first scripts, but Emmy-nominated actress Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) said "nothing can prepare you" for what's set to go down.

There's at least one new addition to the cast: Harry Potter actor Jim Broadbent will play a "significant" role in season 7, and there's reason to believe his maester character could stick around into the final season.

While we wait for precious more details, check out the untold truth of Game of Thrones and the show's most disturbing moments.