'Game of Thrones' Season 5 Premiere Date, Latest News: Hit HBO Series Returning April 12, 2015

The much-awaited latest season of "Game of Thrones" will finally premiere on April 12, HBO announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

The launch date came as no big surprise since the HBO hit series tends to return around the same time each year.

The HBO series, now on its fifth season, will have an expanded cast including members of Prince Oberyn, who was portrayed by Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascual in the fourth season.

The latest season saw its main cast getting rich deals, allowing them to stay up to the seventh season.

HBO made the announcement just a few days after disclosing that the show will become the first TV series to be screened in IMAX cinemas.

"Game of Throne" fans who have not yet seen a single photo or trailer from the new season need not wait until Spring to see what will come down on Westeros. The first trailer for the fifth season will be shown after the screening of the last two episodes of 2013's fourth season on IMAX in 15 selected theaters in the U.S. from Jan. 23 to 29.

IMAX chief operating officer Richard Gelfond explained the deal with HBO aims to provide alternative forms of content in a new and exciting way.

"As a part of our broader strategy, we will continue to look for one-of-a-kind ways to provide consumers with special IMAX experiences," Gelfond said.

The "Game of Thrones" has become HBO's most popular series of all time with an average of 19 million viewers per episode last season, the Entertainment Weekly reported.

It was also the most-searched TV show on Google last year and the most mentioned on Facebook, according to Deadline.

It won four Emmy Awards after leading the nominations with 19, and will compete for the Best Drama Series at Golden Globes next week.

With only extremely brief teases to promote the new season, 'Game of Thrones" is expected to return in April.