Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes things in a very different direction -- and that's a good thing. Rather than telling a multi-faceted story, following many different plots and perspectives, the prequel instead follows the misadventures of lowly knight-for-hire Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is to Game of Thrones what The Mandalorian is to Star Wars. The episodes are shorter, the stakes are (relatively) lower, and it's more of an intimate story about a pair of unlikely allies. It also suits the Game of Thrones Universe really well. Based on the works of George R.R. Martin, there's already content enough for around two more seasons, and Martin himself has plans to write more Dunk and Egg stories. Whether he does publish more Tales of Dunk and Egg is an altogether different question -- Martin has a lot on his plate, after all.
The immediate future of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already confirmed. HBO has renewed the show for season 2, and it's already filming. But don't take it from us. Showrunner Ira Parker confirmed as much in a recent interview with Esquire.
“We’ve been shooting [season 2] every day for the last two weeks,” he revealed. “We'll see how the audience responds and we'll go from there, but I love these characters and I love these stories so much.”
The continued story beyond three seasons hangs largely on whether George R.R. Martin writes more stories. "I hope George keeps writing these," Parker said.
With that said, he does want to tell the story long-term, following Dunk and Egg as they grow in real time as the actors age.
"The truth is—and I've pitched this to HBO with a couple very polite eye rolls—I want to do four or five now with Egg as a kid," he explained. "Then, I want to come back in ten years and do four or five more seasons with Egg the Prince. And with real Dexter [Ansell] and real Peter, just the age that they are at that point. Then, we’ll come back ten years after that and do well, Egg the adult. So, it would be over the course of their lifetime. And mine too."
The plan to have these actors reprise their roles after so many years would feel more authentic than re-casting actors -- but it certainly asks a lot of patience from viewers. It's far too early to know whether a plan such as the one Parker outlined could come to fruition, but it's clear he has big plans for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and hopes to see the show continue for years to come.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 is now streaming on HBO.