HBO has unveiled a new batch of images from the seventh season of Game of Thrones online. We’d have likely already embarked on our fresh batch of episodes for the year if tradition was being followed by HBO and those behind the series this time around - or at least we would be just a few days away from a premiere. With the start for season 7 set for July rather than the usual April date however, fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer than usual to get their dose of fantasy action from Westeros.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the appetites of those who are being extra patient this year won’t be whetted. In fact, those behind GoT made an event out of the premiere date reveal earlier this year, encasing the date in a block of ice and blasting it down with fire over a couple of hours until it was revealed. Something a little more exciting has just been revealed, however.

HBO have now released a fresh batch of promotional images for the seventh season, showcasing some of the characters involved in all of the upcoming drama. You can check out the new pictures in the gallery below:

[vn_gallery name=“Game of Thrones Season 7 Images” id=“949889”]

In them we see a variety of those who have managed to survive through six full seasons of death and unpredictable drama, including but not limited to both Arya and Sansa Stark, Cersei and Jaime Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Tormund Giantsbane and a number of others who are deeper into the political goings-on of Westeros than ever before.

With the additional three months wait that we’re all going through, it’s great to get a glimpse of what we should expect when Game of Thrones eventually does return. Though the pictures shown here don’t give away too much in terms of plot or exactly what’s happening in the new episodes, they do serve to drum up a little bit of excitement before the season’s debut.

In saying that, we now know that this seventh season will only consist of seven episodes. In the past, seasons 1-6 were made up of 10 episodes apiece and even then, some say they struggled to tell the multitude of stories and strands of information they attempted to convey. With three less chances to tell those stories this time round, could all of these characters and actors get their chance to shine in the spotlight? Or will some of their appearances be fleeting, with their stories instead reserved for the final eighth season in 2018?

Game of Thrones season 7 premieres July 16 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Source: HBO