Another Game of Thrones prequel series is officially in the works at HBO with the tales of Dunk and Egg. From early plot details to its place in the Westerosi timeline, here’s everything we know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
As we enjoy the chaos and carnage of House of the Dragon Season 2, we still have one eye on the future. And, like Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven, we see big things heading our way.
That’s right, there’s a new TV show on the way from HBO – one that’ll explore an entirely different time in the Seven Kingdoms.
George R. R. Martin is on board and a full season has been ordered, so it’s full steam ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Does the Game of Thrones prequel have a release date?
There is currently no release date for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. All we know is the show is set to arrive “early” in 2025, according to Martin himself.
Filming is underway on the project in Northern Ireland, having kicked off on June 18, 2024. Martin also confirmed there will be just six episodes for this series.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast
The cast will be led by Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, and Sam Spruell.
Bennett, who had a big role in the True Detective Season 4 cast, will play Aerion Targaryen. Carvel will play Baelor Targaryen. Both will be princes, at a time when the ruling Targaryen king is Maekar Targaryen, played by Spruell.
Young actor Dexter Sol Ansell will play Egg, while Peter Claffey will play Dunk, also known as Ser Duncan the Tall.
The full cast so far is:
- Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall
- Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg
- Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen
- Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen
- Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen
- Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle
- Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon
- Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway
- Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen
- Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate
- Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion
- Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway
- Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer
- Danny Webb Ser Arlan of Pennytree
Owen Harris, best known for their work on Black Mirror, has joined the spinoff as executive producer and will direct the first three episodes.
When is it set?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. This places it about a century ahead of House of the Dragon, slotting it firmly in the middle of both popular HBO shows.
During this period, the Targaryen dynasty still maintained control over the Iron Throne, and one of the bloodline’s descendants is even a protagonist in the new spinoff series.
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A century before @GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.Executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis, A Knight of the #SevenKingdoms: The Hedge Knight has received a straight to series order. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/MRPUke5Upt
— Max (@StreamOnMax) April 12, 2023
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
Outside of the core Song of Ice and Fire storyline, Martin has released three smaller novellas about characters lovingly known as ‘Dunk and Egg.’ These tales will form the basis of this series.
While initially published as standalone, bite-sized narratives, they have since been collected in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’
The first season of HBO’s new spinoff is set to adapt the first of these three novellas, sharing the story of how Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and Aegon V Targaryen (Egg) first became companions.
Starting their adventure together, the pair met at a tournament in Ashford Meadow. Here, they became friendly as Dunk adopted the title of a ‘hedge knight’ and Egg joined along as his squire. Their first adventure together sends them to Dorne, a familiar, vibrant location Game of Thrones fans will know all too well.
How many seasons will there be for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
The first season of the show will be six episodes long, leaving the door open for future seasons.
With the first season set to adapt the first short story, Martin “hopes” that if it’s successful, HBO will then adapt the following two novellas into their own respective seasons. So if all goes according to plan, that locks in at least three seasons for the new spinoff show. However, there’s potential for quite a bit more.
“Before we reach the end of the published stories, I will need to find time to write all the other Dunk & Egg novellas that I have planned,” Martin shared on his blog. As for just how many extras the acclaimed author has in mind, that’s anyone’s guess. Though he implied there’s “more of them than [he] had once thought.”
So assuming the duo captivates audiences around the globe, there’s every chance Dunk and Egg could be on our TV screens for many years to come.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms trailers
The first teaser for this new Game of Thrones spinoff was shared on August 4, 2024, in a new HBO Max sizzle reel, thus, we only got a few seconds of footage.
Nonetheless, this brief snippet offered fans their first look at the show in motion, previewing what we can expect from Sir Duncan’s journey on the silver screen.
First teaser for ‘GAME OF THRONES’ Spin-Off ‘A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS’ Streaming to Max in 2025 pic.twitter.com/hPSW6V5vqu
— ScreenTime (@screentime) August 5, 2024
That’s everything we know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. If you need more Thrones information, check out our House of the Dragon Season 1 recap, learn about Blood and Cheese, or dive into our ranking of the Game of Thrones dragons.