Summary

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms filming begins June 2024, marking a step closer to the 'GoT' spinoff.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was officially confirmed as a 'GoT' prequel by HBO in 2021.
• Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey have been cast in the lead roles.

With the announcement that HBO is producing a prequel to Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novella trilogy, here’s everything that’s been announced about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise has adapted multiple stories from Martin’s bibliography including A Song of Ice and Fire which became the flagship Game of Thrones series. The shows depict the fantasy, medieval world of Westeros and the fight for dominance between the many Houses and nobles of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Martin published Tales of Dunk and Egg in 1998 with The Hedge Knight and finished the trilogy with The Sworn Sword (2003) and The Mystery Knight (2010). These three novellas were then published in a collection, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015). The Max series will follow the first of these three novellas and will likely make a few tweaks to keep things fresh and unpredictable.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Latest News

A Shortened Title & Episode Count

Not long after the show's lead roles were cast, the latest news confirms the title for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and its episode count. Long referred to as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, HBO has opted to halve the cumbersome title to reflect that of the original novella from George R.R. Martin. Along with that news, it was also revealed that season 1 will consist of 6 episodes, with the first half being directed by Owen Harris.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is Confirmed

The GoT Spinoff Was Announced In 2021

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was first teased to be in early development in 2021 (via Variety). The Game of Thrones spinoff was then confirmed on April 14, 2023, by Warner Bros. The HBO Max Twitter made a post depicting a map of the Seven Kingdoms with the overlay, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" presented by HBO Originals. The caption of the post reads, “A century before #GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.”

HBO Max also announced some of the attached crew for the spinoff series. Ira Parker, who was the co-executive producer of season 1 of House of the Dragon, and Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis, both veteran producers of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, will serve as executive producers on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin is also attached as a writer and an executive producer.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Production Status

The Hedge Knight Arrives In Late 2025

Even though many details about the series are still unknown, HBO has provided a pretty clear production timeline for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms since announcing the project. In February 2024, it was not only revealed that the series would begin production in June 2024, but HBO would then go on to confirm that it would premiere sometime in late 2025. It's expected that a more solid release date will be provided once production gets underway.

Game of Thrones spinoff series currently in the works include:

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Cast

Ser Duncan & King Aegon V Have Been Cast

With many of the details surrounding the series still shrouded in mystery, the two lead roles have finally been cast in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The role of the noble Ser Duncan the Tall will be played by former professional rugby player-turned-actor Peter Claffey, and he will be protecting king-in-disguise Aegon V Targaryen who will be played by Dexter Sol Ansell. No other new actors have been announced thus far, and it is unclear which novella characters will be included in the story.

Too much time passes between House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so none of the characters should appear in the new spinoff. It is also too soon for any major characters from Game of Thrones to appear, but one supporting character may briefly appear. Brynden “Bloodraven” Rivers is a brother to a Targaryen King who acts as master of whisperers in Tales of Dunk and Egg, but he will need to be recast since his original actor, Max von Sydow, passed away in 2020.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Story Details

A Century Before Game Of Thrones

They travel across Westeros, interacting with the common people and the lords and ladies under the rule of the Targaryens

HBO has released the official synopsis for the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The Game of Thrones spin-off follows Sir Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his young but courageous squire, Egg. They travel across Westeros, interacting with the common people and the lords and ladies under the rule of the Targaryens, who are in the later stages of their rule - which may be disappointing to House Targaryen fans looking forward to dragons.

If the series follows Tales of Dunk and Egg closely, Egg will be quickly revealed as Aegon V Targaryen, the youngest son of King Maekar I Targaryen. Aegon “Egg” decides he wants to learn how the smallfolk live, and Duncan the Tall, a lowborn soldier of immense strength and skill is picked to accompany him. Egg learns what life is like for the common folk and Dunk learns about chivalry and honor. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms depicts one of the few times in Westeros when things are at peace but all the while, the seeds of the wars to come in Game of Thrones are planted.

Source: HBO Max, Variety