The upcoming fourth season of Game of Thrones will not follow the same "template" as the previous three seasons, according to one of the HBO show's stars.

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John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones, told Zap2It in a Thursday report that season 4 would have several climactic moments throughout, as opposed to saving them all for the end. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are familiar with the sort of formala they've created through three seasons and are going to subvert it in season 4, according to Bradley.

"This season they've completely thrown that template out of the window, and they're determined to put as many surprises in as possible when people least expect it," he revealed. "There's usually lots of chat and lots of setup and lots of exposition in episodes 1 and 2 that blossom into fruition later on as the season reaches its action climax.

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"But the action really does hit the ground running in this season. There's no kind of easing into it. You're right into the thick of it straight away, and I think that's going to catch people off guard a little bit."

This isn't a huge surprise considering season 4 is adapting the second half of A Storm of Swords, the third book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel saga. With only the first half adapted for season 3, fans should expect many big moments to occur as payoff in season 4.

Bradley added that there are "four or five" episodes in season 4 that could stand as the centerpiece of the season, indicating that the action does not stop all the way through.

He also teased that Sam and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) will be "butting heads" over certain things as they have become prominent members of the Night's Watch. This comes with Sam's newfound confidence that has gradually been building up since season 1.

Game of Thrones season 4 premieres Sunday, April 6 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Watch the season 4 trailer for Game of Thrones here:

Tags: Game of Thrones television hbo