New ‘Game of Thrones’ trailer hints that ‘winter is here’ . . .

The most in depth look to date into the globally successful epic fantasy television series 'Game of Thrones' was released on Wednesday (June 21).(photo grabbed from Reuters video)
A scene in ‘Game of Thrones’ (from Reuters video)

Reuters — The most in-depth look to date into the globally successful epic fantasy television series ‘Game of Thrones’ was released on Wednesday (June 21).

Playing off the series’ catchphrase ‘winter is coming’, the trailer is called ‘Winter is Here’ and shows all the key surviving characters of the various houses of Westeros as they do battle for the Iron Throne.

The trailer is book-ended by the character of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) whose character of dutiful and innocent heiress to the Stark household came under suspicion at the end of season 6.

The new series, which is set to start on July 16, comes more than a year after season 6 and, from the trailer, will feature not only the usual fighting between the houses but also against the common threat of the White Walkers – mysterious ice creatures from the north.

“Game of Thrones” is the most-watched show on Time Warner Inc’s premium cable network HBO, averaging around 25 million viewers for its sixth season. The saga will conclude with its eighth season next year.