Let’s dreamcast A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

David Strathairn as Lord Eustace Osgrey

Moving on from The Hedge Knight, we arrive at our first characters from the second Dunk and Egg novella, The Sworn Sword. And where better to start than with the lord who Dunk has sworn his sword to: Eustace Osgrey.

Eustace is a lonely old man living out his days in the crumbling tower of Standfast. Once, his house was proud and prosperous, but after Eustace’s ancestors spoke out in support of the Faith Militant, the Targaryens stripped them of their traditional home of Coldmoat. It only got worse when Eustace sided against the Crown during the Blackfyre Rebellion. He was forgiven for that, but lost both his sons, his wife, and his daughter as a result.

Of course, Dunk doesn’t know all this at the start of The Sworn Sword. Eustace leads him on a bit of a charade, claiming that a river that was dammed up by the lady who now owns Coldmoat was actually his water, despite the fact that the Targaryens had seized this part of the Osgrey’s land to reward their more loyal subjects.

Eustace Osgrey is deceptive but endearing, and David Strathairn would be a fantastic fit. Strathairn’s stint as Klaes Ashford on The Expanse showed that he can act both charismatic and dangerous, depending on what the moment calls for. He’s in the right age range for Eustace and would probably look good sporting the sort of “drooping mustaches” Eustace is described as having. He would have to act a bit more senile than in any roles I’ve seen him in thus far — Eustace has a habit of mixing up names and memories, living in the past — but given how versatile of an actor Strathairn is, I’m betting that would be something he could handle easily.