'Game of Thrones' Season 5 Release Date News: Stars Invade Tower of London for World Premiere of New Season

The excitement is mounting as we near the April 12, 2015 Season 5 premiere of "Game of Thrones" on HBO.

The cast of the series walked the red carpeted moat of the 11th century Tower of London during the world premiere of the fifth season on Wednesday. A fitting venue for a medieval-inspired show of family turmoil and political betrayal, the "Bloody Tower" was a former home to exiled princes, imprisoned earls and beheaded queens.

During the event, there was a lot of talk about how Season 5 will stray from the books of George R. R. Martin, as the author has been quoted as saying that the current season will not be as faithful to the books as the past ones, and that the characters may go on totally different directions from the book and, potentially, even get killed.

"Everybody better be on their toes. David and DB (Benioff and Weiss, respectively, Game of Thrones showrunners) are even bloodier than I am," Martin had said when news first came out of deaths occurring on the series that were not on the books.

Michael McElhatton, who plays Roose Bolton in the drama, said, "Like every season there are a lot of shocks but there will probably be even more, particularly for the book readers."

Some of the other cast members, like Kit Harrington, who plays Jon Snow, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jamie Lannister, tried very hard not to divulge anything that may dampen the excitement of fans.

Iwan Rheon, who plays Ramsay Snow, the bane of Reek's existence, did hint that religion and spirituality will bring new dynamics to the show. "It's really scary and quite sinister and everything gets closer to boiling point as well. The pressure cooker is being turned up and it's getting full on," he said.

Some of the most popular cast members were missing during the world premiere, notably Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister; Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister; Emilia Clarke, who plays Danaerys Targeryan; and Maisie Williams, who plays Aria Stark. Very much present were the flocks of ravens that are featured prominently in the show. This was because the Tower of London is their home.

The first episode that was premiered showed flashbacks, prophesies foretold and sorrows drowned, suggesting new alliances and settling old scores. The show's female characters were very much up front and center. There were some nudity, unexpected moments of violence and humor sprinkled in the tightly paced episode.

Jonathan Pryce, who joined the cast to play the High Sparrow – who he describes as "the nearest thing to Pope Francis that Games of Thrones has" – said before the episode aired that "I didn't know what to expect with it being the fifth series. I thought people will be worn out and a little cynical but the reality was they were all very keen still on getting it right and I had a really, really good time."

Based on the first episode, many viewers will most likely share the same view.