A brand new preview clip has launched for HBO's new fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, which is based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series.

According to the LA Times, the cable network is hoping that their new show will follow the path of True Blood, the vampire drama that has steadily grown into HBO's first major hit in years and was likewise adapted from a series of genre novels with a ferociously devoted fan base.

Here's the synopsis straight from the HBO site:

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men ... all will play the 'Game of Thrones'.

The show stars Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, and Kit Harington.

Here's the teaser trailer:



And here's the new ten-minute behind-the-scenes clip:



The show premieres in the USA in April 2011. A release date for Australia is yet to be announced.

You can follow Game of Thrones on Twitter to get the latest news about the production.