Skip to main content

Season 7 is coming: HBO uses fire and ice to reveal ‘Game of Thrones’ premiere date


March usually means that the return of Game of Thrones is just a month away, but everything has changed this year. We’re stuck waiting till summer for more of the HBO drama — and being patient isn’t easy. The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The premium network has finally revealed the season 7 premiere date.

The big announcement came Thursday during a Facebook Live video. Fans had to wait more than an hour for a block of ice to melt down to show the date, but in the end, the information was revealed. Just as star Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos) recently suggested, Game of Thrones season 7 will premiere in July — on July 16, to be exact. At last, it is known.

Recommended Videos

The unique — but somewhat infuriating — fire-and-ice reveal foreshadowed a clash coming this season. We might be reading too much into this, but it was interesting to see that fire ultimately triumphed, slowly but surely. Either way, the meeting of fire and ice should play heavily into the season and the remainder of the series now that the real war is here. It was also the focus of the first Game of Thrones teaser poster.

Even with the premiere date finally unveiled, we still have many questions that only the show can answer. There is boundless drama ahead as the constant power struggles continue and the people of Westeros resume their game of musical chairs with the Iron Throne. Of course, we can’t forget the more terrifying threat in the White Walkers and the long winter.

The wait for season 7 is still far from over, but at least now we can plan our summers around winter in Westeros. Our patience will be rewarded when Game of Thrones returns on July 16.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
Tulsa King season 2 reveals teaser trailer, premiere date
Sylvester Stallone smokes a cigar while sitting at a table in Tulsa King.

Sylvester Stallone is back as Dwight Manfredi in the first teaser trailer for Tulsa King season 2.

Paramount+ has announced Tulsa King season 2 will return on Sunday, September 15, in the U.S. and Canada. Paramount+ subscribers in international markets can stream Tulsa King's sophomore season the next day, September 16.

Read more
House of the Dragon renewed by HBO for season 3
A woman stands with her two sons staring out to sea.

The Targaryen civil war will continue. On Thursday, HBO announced the renewal of House of the Dragon for season 3. The news comes days before Sunday's season 2 premiere.

House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood. Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles House Targaryen and the war of succession that will lead to its decline. Martin and Ryan Condal co-created the series for HBO.

Read more
House of the Dragon season 2: Everything we know so far
A man preps for battle in House of the Dragon season 2.

Long-ime Game of Thrones fans are eagerly awaiting the return of House of the Dragon. This prequel series became a genuine phenomenon in its first season, which told the story of the friendship between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower as it soured into what would eventually become an all-out civil war.
HBO renewed the show for a second season almost as soon as the first season began airing, and we already know plenty about where the show will be headed when it returns.
This post does not contain any spoilers for the show's second season, but it is informed by Fire & Blood, the Targaryen history by George R.R. Martin that the series is adapted from. The show will continue to focus on the conflict between Rhaenyra and her younger half-brother Aegon as they battle for control of the Iron Throne.

What will happen in season 2 of House of the Dragon?
House Of The Dragon | Official Teaser | HBO Max
Without delving into spoilers, the second season of the show is expected to pick up soon after the first season left off. Fans of the show will likely recall that that season ended with Aemond Targaryen's dragon inadvertently attacking and killing Rhaenyra's son Lucerys and his dragon. Lucerys's death is what ultimately brings what had been a simmering conflict closer to a boil, leading to a much greater level of death and destruction.
Based on the latest trailer for the new season, the story will show more of Westeros than what we saw in the previous season. Shots of characters standing atop the Wall and sailing across the seas hint that the Dance of the Dragons will impact all of Westeros as both sides gather allies from all across the Seven Kingdoms. Likewise, the trailer features shots of characters flying dragons, riding horses, and marching with entire armies, teasing a much more action-packed season that harks back to Game of Thrones at its most exciting.
We also know, thanks to an interview with one of the show's writers, that a moment known to fans as Blood and Cheese will be included on the show. The exact details of that moment are best left to the imagination. But suffice it to say that it's a moment likely to leave many fans talking.

Read more