HBO Is Telling the Tales of Dunk and Egg
Have you heard the news, or do you need a good clout in the ear? The next Game of Thrones spinoff is headed to our screens. On June 18, HBO confirmed in a press release that production has begun in Belfast, Ireland on the prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The show is based on The Hedge Knight, the first of three novellas in the Tales of Dunk and Egg series. George R. R. Martin, who is on board as a writer and executive producer, said in a blog post last year that the upcoming season will hopefully do well enough to allow for the next two novellas to be adapted as well. “That will take a few years. Then comes the hard part,” Martin wrote. “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. There are… gulp… more of them than I had once thought.” Oof. We know how well it went the last time a Westeros show ended before its source material, don’t we? Still, let’s not get ahead of ourselves — all that’s been confirmed for now is a single six-episode season. Below, here’s what we know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, including which Targaryens have joined the cast, when the show’s expected to drop, and more.
What’s it about?
A Knight of Seven Kingdoms takes place a century before the events of Game of Thrones, during an age when the Targaryen line still held the Iron Throne. Per an official but vague logline, the show follows “a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” two unlikely heroes who face “great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits.” (Spoiler: Egg is the childhood nickname of King Aegon Targaryen the Fifth.) George R.R. Martin has said on his blog that the goal is to create a “faithful” adaptation of what’s on the page. Since this is based on his novella The Hedge Knight, we’re specifically expecting to see the story of how Dunk and Egg first met during a tournament at Ashford Meadow.
Who’s in the cast?
Rugby-pro-turned-actor Peter Claffey will star as Dunk. He certainly looks tall enough! Meanwhile, nine-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell (a.k.a. young Coriolanus Snow from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) has already shaved his head in preparation for his role as Egg.
The full cast also includes Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Barotheon, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen.
Who else is involved?
Owen Harris, who directed “San Junipero” and other episodes of Black Mirror, will direct three episodes. Sarah Adina Smith (Lessons In Chemistry, Buster’s Mal Heart) will direct the other three. George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker wrote the show, and they both also serve as executive producers alongside Harris, Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, and Sarah Bradshaw.
When is it coming out?
An official release date hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, during a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call in February 2024, CEO David Zaslav said that the show would premiere “in late 2025 on Max.” So far, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms still seems to be on track to make that estimate, given that production began in June. At least we’ve got House of the Dragon to hold us over while we wait?
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