Season 5

Season 5 of Game of Thrones was formally commissioned by HBO on 8 April 2014, following a substantial increase in audience figures between the third and fourth seasons. The fifth and sixth seasons were commissioned simultaneously, the first time HBO has done so for a major drama series.

The season is expected to again consist of ten episodes and is expected to commence production in July 2014, running late into the year. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will return as executive producers and showrunners for both seasons, having signed a new two-year contract with HBO in early 2014.

The season is expected to premiere in April 2015.

Season 5 will consist of material from both the fourth and fifth novels of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. The two novels take place simultaneously alongside one another.

Plot
The show runners and executive producers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, have confirmed that Season 5 will feature a storyline in Dorne, focused on the aftermath of Prince Oberyn Martell's death and on his daughters, the Sand Snakes.

Production
As of May 2014, location scouting for Season 5 has begun in Croatia and Spain. Filming in Croatia will continue in and around Dubrovnik, Split and Žrnovnica, and will expand to new locations around Imotski and Šibenik. The Spanish locations being scouted are in Andalusia, namely The Alhambra of Granada, the Alcázar of Seville and the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos of Córdoba.

Adaptation
Although the A Song of Ice and Fire novels were originally planned as a trilogy, to be titled A Game of Thrones, A Dance With Dragons and The Winds of Winter, eventually George R.R. Martin realized his plot of "book one" would have to be expanded into three novels ​(A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords), which effectively means the first three books are one very long novel. In fact, the climax of A Storm of Swords concludes many of the plotlines begun in A Game of Thrones. Because of this, Benioff has described Season 4 as the "midpoint", which makes Season 5 the starting point of the show's second half.

Furthermore, what Martin originally planned as the middle novel (A Dance With Dragons​) grew so vast that it could not possibly be published as a single novel, so he answered the dilemma by cutting the novel into two books that happen concurrently: the fourth one (A Feast For Crows) follows all of the characters in the Seven Kingdoms while the fifth one (A Dance With Dragons) covers events in other parts of the world. The TV series will simply present these events in chronological order, "drawing heavily" from both books for Season 5. While developing season 4, Benioff said that "Season 5 gives him nightmares", but both he and David Benioff later stated that, once they actually had it outlined and written, "the fear started to dissipate."

Returning starring cast

 * All starring cast members whose characters survive the events of Season 4 are expected to return for the fifth season. The following cast members are confirmed:


 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Regent Cersei Lannister
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Maisie Williams as Lady Arya Stark
 * Joe Dempsie as Gendry
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis

Returning guest starring cast

 * Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell
 * Anton Lesser as Qyburn
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle

Being re-casted

 * Princess Myrcella Baratheon

Characters Being Cast

 * Prince Doran Martell
 * Prince Trystane Martell
 * Areo Hotah
 * Obara Sand
 * Nymeria Sand
 * Tyene Sand
 * High Sparrow
 * Septa Unella
 * Maggy the Frog
 * Lady Lollys Stokeworth
 * Yezzan zo Qaggaz
 * The Waif
 * Varamyr Sixskins
 * Imogen
 * Brunette Girl

Producers

 * David Benioff: executive producer
 * D.B. Weiss: executive producer

Writers

 * David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
 * Bryan Cogman (2 episodes)
 * Dave Hill

Directors

 * David Nutter (Episode 9 and Episode 10)