House of the Dragon is currently filming its third season (out of the planned four seasons). It’s also fair to say that at least some excitement for that Game of Thrones prequel has fallen by the wayside after anticipated battles were postponed, and redundant strategy discussions sent the show into inertia. For a series where strength lies in spectacle, the fact that very little spectacle has been occurring has been a downer. Author George R.R. Martin also went on a series of rants about how upset he was about key changes in narratives as opposed to his books.
However, production for A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms has made GRRM very happy, although it might upset Westeros devotees who crave “nonstop” action, as GRRM details below. Let’s talk about what we can expect from HBO‘s next Game of Thrones prequel:
Plot
George R.R. Martin’s three “Dunk and Egg” novellas will be the basis of this series that could run three seasons. The first season will adapt The Hedge Knight, which introduces Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his much shorter squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Additionally, the story will pick up about 90-100 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 200 years after where House of the Dragon began.
Within A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, the Targaryens are still in power, but dragons are essentially extinct, and the story will follow Duncan as a knight who is in service to no particular lord, but he must earn a living, so he heads toward a tournament (the Tourney of Ashford Meadow). Along the way, he unintentionally picks up a persistent squire, Egg, and GRRM previously expressed his delight” at how “[n]inety per cent of the story is set in a field, surrounded by tents… the costumes and the heraldry and the fights all had to be splendid, and… I was so so happy when I got there, and saw what Ira [Park, showrunner] and his team had built.”
Martin has updated his enthusiasm in a recent Not-A-Blog entry while also warning that those looking for nonstop action might be disappointed:
“It’s as faithful as adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how increedibly reasonable I am on that particular subject). Viewers who are looking for action, and more action, and only action… well, this one may not satisfy you. There’s a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry and all it means.”
For perspective, HotD showrunner Ryan Condal reflected on how Dunk and Egg’s adventures “always stuck with me as such a wonderful counterpoint to George’s world, which was really about the upper crust of the 1 percent.” Whereas “Well, Dunk and Egg is about the small folk who suffer at the hands of the game of thrones as it’s played by the nobles.”
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms does have a synopsis:
A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. 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.
Cast
Very little CGI will surface in this series. Instead, an all-human cast will include Peter Claffey as as Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg. Westeros surnames should also raise some eyebrows. They include multiple Targaryens, including including Finn Bennett as Aerion, Bertie Carvel as Baylor, and Sam Spruell as Maker. Daniel Ings will embody Ser Lyonel Barotheon. Tanzyn Crawford will portray a puppeteer named Tanselle.
Release Date
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms had been pinpointed for a “summer” 2025 release as forecast by HBO exec JB Perrette, but on a recent WBD earnings call (via IGN), CEO David Zaslav updated the situation to a “premiere in late 2025 on Max.”
Trailer
The Max YouTube channel provided footage showing of Dunk and Egg in action. A teaser trailer should be incoming soon.