A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will diverge from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon in a major way

It's official: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the next spinoff in HBO's Game of Thrones universe, is set to debut in January 2026. Later this week HBO is hosting a panel for the series at New York Comic Con, where we'll likely get all sorts of new goodies like an actual release date, a trailer, and new insights from co-creators George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker, and stars Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who play the stalwart knight Dunk and his precocious squire Egg, respectively. It's an exciting time to be a fan of Westeros!

But some news is already starting to get out. For instance, we just learned that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will feature a massive behind-the-scenes change from its predecessors that is sure to set it apart from both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon: this is the first Westeros show that is not being scored by Ramin Djawadi. Instead, Dan Romer created the music for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, as he confirmed this week in an Instagram post.

Ramin Djawadi did not score A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Obviously, Djawadi's scores need no introduction; his themes from Game of Thrones have become some of the most iconic in television history. But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a much smaller scale story than either Thrones or House of the Dragon. Set roughly 80 years before the main series, this is a contained tale that follows a knight and his squire on adventures, and is a much more lighthearted, humorous affair. Romer's credits include titles like the fifth Farcry video game, Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch remake, Death of a Unicorn, and Superman & Lois. He's got an eclectic resumé, which might be just the ticket for the lighter tale of Dunk and Egg.

We already know one large effect related to the change in composer: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will not feature an opening credits sequence. “The title sequences on the original [Game of Thrones] and House of Dragon are big and epic and incredible," showrunner Ira Parker told Entertainment Weekly. "Ramin Djawadi’s score is orchestral and large and beautiful. That's not really Dunk’s M.O. He’s plain and he’s simple and he’s to-the-point. He doesn't have a lot of flash to him.”

As much as I do love a good opening credits sequence, that description sounds just right. Martin's Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas are indeed straightforward stories that put the reader right in Dunk's head as he contends with the machinations of lords, sellswords, and ambitious knights, all while trying to follow his own code of honesty and honor. It's a big part of what makes the stories so appealing to read, so it's encouraging to hear how that aspect of the series is spilling out into all corners of the show's production, including its score.

The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to adapt the novella The Hedge Knight, which sees Dunk and Egg head to a grand tourney at Ashford Meadow in the Reach. Obviously, things will go quite awry there, and the only way out for Dunk is to walk through danger and hope to make it out the other side, a quality Parker found relatable. “You don’t exactly know the final destination, but you just keep at it," he explained. "That’s all Dunk has. That’s his only superpower. He gets up and, one foot in front of the other, he keeps going.”

We'll get to see more of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and hear more of Romer's score tomorrow, when HBO premieres the first trailer for the series. Until then, here's a brand new teaser to tide us over:

Even that bit of dialogue is enough to get me hyped to see more! Stay tuned tomorrow for more reporting on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as it hits the stage at New York Comic Con.