"Game of Thrones" to live stream season 5 premiere in San Francisco
The U.S. premiere of the fifth season of "Game of Thrones" will be held at a palatial building in San Francisco, aptly suited for the television show about a mythical kingdom.
But the City by the Bay is also a leading tech hub and HBO plans to give fans access to the red carpet event Monday by streaming it live on the show's Facebook page.
Many of the series' stars will attend the event at the War Memorial Opera House and answer fan questions submitted via Facebook. Facebook viewers will also be treated to behind the scenes video features scenes from the new season, HBO said.
Visuals from the premiere will also be shared on Instagram.
Cast members scheduled to attend include Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaimie Lannister).
Based on the best-selling book series by George R.R. Martin, "Game of Thrones" is set in the war-torn continent of Westeros, a place where winter and summer can last for decades. The epic fantasy, which tells the story of warring kingdoms, includes stunning landscapes, lots of sex, plenty of sword fights and decapitations and fire-breathing dragons.
By Friday, fans had already posted more than 300 questions for the cast on Facebook, ranging from what the actors would name their pet dragons to what characters will die next in the blood-soaked epic fantasy.
Michael McElhatton, who plays Roose Bolton, promised "shocks" for fans at the world premiere last week held at the historic Tower of London, but he and the rest of the cast revealed few details about the plot's twists and turns. (Reviews of the season 5 premiere, "The Wars to Come," have promised a "notably confident series opener" and "a measured scene-setter" that "will have you gripped from the get-go.")
Season five premieres April 12 on HBO and on HBO Now, the networks' streaming service, which will launch that day on Apple TV.