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

Henry Cavill as Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen

Baelor Breakspear is a character who looms large over the Dunk and Egg tales. At the time of The Hedge Knight, Baelor is second in line to the throne and serving as Hand of the King. He’s a noble and even-tempered lord. It’s only through his sense of justice that Dunk even has a chance to survive the trial, and then again through his strength of arms and cunning that Dunk and his allies are able to succeed. Baelor arrives at the crucial moment to “fill out Dunk’s team,” so to speak. He convinces Ser Duncan and the knights fighting beside them to switch to tourney lances, which gives them a crucial advantage thanks to the longer length of their longer length.

Without Baelor Breakspear, the Tales Dunk and Egg would have ended with the first novella, which makes it all the more tragic when Baelor’s allies remove his crushed helmet after the melee and half his skull comes off with it. Baelor collapses in Dunk’s arms in the most shocking scene of the entire series.

Tapping a well-known actor like Henry Cavill would make sense for Baelor. First, it would lend that character’s death the weight it deserves. Baelor is very much treated like the hope and future of the realm in The Hedge Knight, which is why it’s so soul-crushing when he’s abruptly killed off in a twist that’s right up there beside Ned Stark’s execution. Cavill has a huge presence and plenty of experience playing people who are both heroic and stoic — think Superman with a bit of Geralt of Rivia sprinkled in. He also wouldn’t even need to wear a Targaryen wig, since Baelor inherited the dark hair and eyes of his Dornish mother.