Just as House of the Dragon season 2 came to a close, fans of the Game of Thrones franchise got a glimpse of the upcoming prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.
A first look of the Game of Thrones spinoff was shown among promos of other highly-anticipated new series, such as Dune and The Penguin, as well as returns of fan favorites, like The Last of Us and The White Lotus, in a Max coming soon reel in August 2024.
The short promo features Peter Claffey introducing himself as Ser Duncan the Tall, with snippets of sword fighting and a familiar-looking Game of Thrones landscape.
Game of Thrones: All the Spinoffs in the Works and What We Know So Far
Based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will adapt the first of the series, The Hedge Knight, into six episodes. The latest prequel is set to be released in 2025.
Taking place in between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, Tales of Dunk and Egg concerns the "small folk who suffer at the hands of the game of thrones as it's played by the nobles," executive producer Ryan Condal told Entertainment Weekly in May 2024.
Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
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Based on the novella by Martin, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place a century before the events of Game of Thrones and centers on “a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” per the official HBO description.
The longline continues, “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
In Martin’s novella, the story begins when Dunk, a squire, takes the possessions of a deceased knight and heads to Ashford to compete in a tournament as "Ser Duncan the Tall."
Accompanied by a young boy named "Egg," who becomes his squire, Dunk also encounters a love interest, Tanselle. When Prince Aerion Targaryen (second son of Prince Maekar Targaryen and Lady Dyanna Dayne) — attacks Tanselle, Dunk intervenes, sparking a series of misadventures.
While Martin is heavily involved in the project as a writer and executive producer, it’s not clear how much of the show will lend itself to the original narrative or expand beyond the pages.
“A novella is considerably shorter than a novel (particularly one of my novels), so there’s less source material,” Martin wrote on his blog in June 2024.
The Hedge Knight is 164 pages, which, compared to Martin’s other novels that range between 700 to 1,000 pages, is a relatively short read.
What are the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas about?
Tales of Dunk and Egg is a series of fantasy novellas by Martin set in the same world as his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, which inspired the Game of Thrones series.
The stories take place about 90 years before the main events of the series and follow Dunk, the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, the future King Aegon V Targaryen.
The novellas explore the history of Westeros, providing a rich backstory to the Game of Thrones universe, detailing the lives and lineage of significant characters before the events of the main series.
When will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms be released?
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No official date has been set, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is expected to be released sometime in 2025.
Is there a trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
While an official trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has yet to be released, a first look was nestled between other new and returning series on Max for 2024-2025.
The promo showcases Dunk (Claffey) in his armor, introducing himself as “Ser Duncan the Tall” and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) by a fire.
Who is in the cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
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As of right now, the cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will consist of:
- Peter Claffey as Dunk
- Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg
- Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, second son of Prince Maekar Targaryen and Lady Dyanna Dayne, nephew of Baelor Targaryen and major source of conflict for Dunk
- Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, heir to Storm’s End during the reign of Daeron II
- Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen, father of Aerion
- Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, brother of Maekar and firstborn son and heir of King Daeron II Targaryen
- Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, a young puppeteer and love interest of Dunk
- Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, a knight
- Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, a prince of the Targaryen dynasty
- Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, a blacksmith
- Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, a knight
- Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, cousin and squire of Steffon
- Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, steward of Ashford
- Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, the knight that Dunk steals the possessions of after his death
Who is directing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
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Sarah Adina Smith, known for her work on Lessons in Chemistry and Hanna, will helm three of the six episodes as director. Owen Harris, who has worked on the acclaimed dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror, will also direct three episodes and executive produce the series, per HBO.
The series will have Martin as a writer and executive producer, alongside other franchise veterans, such as Condal, Ira Parker, Vince Gerardis and My Lady Jane producer Sarah Bradshaw joining the team.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2024, Condal said that he pitched the idea to adapt Dunk and Egg years ago before he went on to co-create House of the Dragon with Martin.
"When HBO was looking to do spinoffs for the original series — this is now like eight years ago — word got around that I was a bit of a fan," he said. "They had me in and I passionately pitched them on doing Dunk and Egg for this reason."
While the network at the time wanted something "much bigger and crazier and more expensive” (enter: House of the Dragon), early development of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms began in 2021, first reported by Variety.
“I think fans are going to be rewarded with another great series in the greater A Song of Ice and Fire," Condal told Entertainment Weekly.
Where can I watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be released on Max in 2025, where fans can catch up on Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon in the meantime.
