HBO announced today that they have renewed Game Of Thrones for a third season, with series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss at the forefront.

The highly anticipated premiere of Season 2, which debuted on April 1, 2012, had a reported gross audience of 8.3 million viewers. Season 2 is scheduled to run 10 episodes.

The HBO series is based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy book series A Song Of Ice and Fire, and Martin has been an an integral part of the television show’s production as one of its executive producers.

Season 2 stars Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Sophie Turner, Jack Gleeson, and Alfie Allen.