Fans of George R.R. Martin's world of Westeros are in for a treat this coming January, when the next TV series set in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, hits HBO Max. The upcoming fantasy show is based on Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, and unlike its predecessors, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it will place more emphasis on the "small folk," as opposed to entirely telling its story from the perspective of Westerosi nobility.
Recently, Martin, along with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker and series leads Peter Claffey, who plays lowborn hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (better known as "Dunk"), and Dexter Sol Ansell, Dunk's precocious squire, spoke with Brandon Davis at a special panel at New York Comic Con. The panel featured the world premiere of the trailer for the upcoming series, as well as a question and answer session with the creative team, and even a mock knighting ceremony, in which Martin himself honored a handful of fans with their own knighthoods after correctly reciting the vows of Knighthood.
During the panel, Claffey was asked about the scene from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms that he was most excited to film. The Irish actor responded with an answer that many fans didn't see coming.
"I can't really spoil, but it was a scene on horseback, where I have a lot of things to say," he recalled. "We had done that in the first audition process and I remember just going ‘This is, like, the true monologue of Dunk trying to implore people to do whatever,’ and I felt like, when that came around, I was quite nervous, and when we got it finished, when we called ‘cut’ and got it done, and we had got everything finished, I probably wasn’t allowed to but I took off on the horse and went around, and I took out my sword, and I was like ‘It’s so cringey, actually…’ and I was like, 'Aaah!' So that was probably my favorite."
Claffey's answer teases an intense journey for Ser Duncan, an ancestor of Game of Thrones fan favorite fighter Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendoline Christie. Given that the scene served as an audition for Dunk, it almost certainly plays a hugely important part in the character's arc. Claffey's initial impression of the scene, referring to it as Dunk's true monologue, also suggests that this moment will solidify who Ser Duncan truly is for audiences.
Interestingly, throughout the panel, Martin and Parker discussed the prominence of tournament scenes throughout the series. Martin said that he set an ambitious goal for the show's team: to bring the definitive live-action tourney sequences to life. It's worth noting that Claffey's answer did not mention tournaments, or even combat, despite the importance of tourneys to Dunk's character. Instead, his most exciting scene was a monologue, likely indicating the high quality of the show's writing.
However, Claffey mentioned being on horseback and carrying a sword in his answer. As such, it can be speculated that Dunk's defining monologue takes place around the time of a tournament, or another big battle sequence. This is consistent with the strengths of the previous Westeros shows, since both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon boast big and brutal battles, though many fans agree that the series' strongest moments always prove to be the character focused elements, such as a climactic and cathartic monologue.
Regardless of what Claffey's favorite scene to film may have been, the panel promises that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be a worthy follow-up to its two popular predecessors. Set in between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, the third HBO series based on Martin's works takes place after the Targaryens have lost their dragons, diminishing their influence as rulers throughout the realm.
All four panelists — Martin, Parker, Claffey, and Sol Ansell — provided thoughtful and intriguing answers to each and every question from Davis, as well as those from fans. The cast also teased exciting journeys for their characters and a fun dynamic between the two leads, Martin discussed some scene-stealing supporting characters, such as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, aka "The Laughing Storm," played by Daniel Ings, and Parker explained his high hopes for the series, and what separates it from the other Westeros set shows. Complete with a pitch-perfect trailer, the panel assured audiences that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is not to be missed.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiers on HBO Max on January 18, 2026. The season will consist of six episodes, each approximately 30 minutes in length. Any fan curious as to what scene Claffey was describing at Comic Con should stay tuned for all six episodes.