Game of Thrones ended in 2019. It was the premiere TV drama of the 2010s and the most successful show in HBO's history, so you know there was no way they were going to let it lie. Since then, the network has aired two seasons of a prequel series called House of the Dragon, which has amassed a fan base of its own. And later this year, they'll premiere yet another Game of Thrones prequel show: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms set?
House of the Dragon is set aroun 150 years before Game of Thrones, during a period of internecine violence called the Dance of the Dragons, when rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty fought each other for the Iron Throne. Although that drama is still playing out, the Dance will end with far fewer dragons flying the skies above Westeros. Recall that in Game of Thrones, dragons have been gone for so long that no one alive remembers them.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set about 90 years before Game of Thrones. There are no more dragons in Westeros, but there are old-timers hanging around who remember when they filled the skies. The Targaryen family is still in charge of the Seven Kingdoms. Overall it's a more peaceful time for the continent than either in Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.
So A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set many decades after the end of House of the Dragon but many decades before the start of Game of Thrones. With that in mind, don't expect any crossovers. That said, there are actually a couple characters who are ancient by the time of Game of Thrones who are just little kids here, like Maester Aemon and Walder Frey, but there's no gaurantee they'l show up.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on a series of novellas written by George R.R. Martin, the author behind A Song of Ice and Fire and Fire & Blood, which HBO adapted as Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon respectively. The novellas follow a very tall (and kinda dumb, depending on who you ask) knight named Ser Duncan the Tall, and his precocious and diminutive squire, known as Egg. Together, they travel the Seven Kingdoms helping people and having adventures.
If you think that sounds a little smaller in scale than what Game of Thrones fans are used to, you're right. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas are more intimate and altogether lighter than his more epic stories. There will still be plenty of fighting and scheming and back-stabbing, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will represent a new angle on Westeros. Deadline's Max Golgbart, who got to watch bits of the show early, put it like this:
"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, meanwhile, was displayed in all its humor and irreverence. The prequel takes a somewhat different tone to House of the Dragon and the original Game of Thrones."
Martin has written three Dunk and Egg novellas so far: "The Hedge Knight," "The Sword Shield" and "The Mystery Knight." The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will cover the events of "The Hedge Knight," where a newly independent Dunk will enter himself in a tourney in the Reach. There he'll meet Egg for the first time, as well as encounter a number of Targaryens who are also on the tourney grounds. Tanselle, a puppeteer hoping to entertain people who have come for the tourney, also plays an important role.
Who's in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have sprawling casts. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also has its fair share of actors, but things ultimately always come back to Dunk and Egg. Here's everyone we know so far who will appear in the new show, and who they're playing:
Actor | Character |
|---|---|
Peter Claffey | Dunk |
Dexter Sol Ansell | Egg |
Danny Webb | Ser Arlan of Pennytree |
Finn Bennett | Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen |
Bertie Carvel | Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen |
Sam Spruell | Maekar Targaryen |
Tanzyn Crawford | Tanselle |
Daniel Ings | Lyonel Baratheon |
Edward Ashley | Ser Steffon Fossoway |
Shaun Thomas | Raymun Fossoway |
Youssef Kerkour | Steely Pate |
Daniel Monks | Ser Manfred Dondarrion |
Russell Simpson | Lord Medgar Tully |
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor | Plummer |
Ross Anderson | Humfrey Hardyng |
Rowan Robinson | Rowan |
Steven Calvert | Stormland knight |
Ellie McHale-Roe | Lia the Lovely |
Carla Harrison-Hodge | Beony |
JB Moore | farrier |
Mark O’Connor | musician |
Abigail O'Regan | unknown |
Eric Nolan | unknown |
Michael O'Mara | unknown |
Riain Ó Conchobhaír | unknown |
Not many of the actors in here are big names, but HBO shows have a way of taking little-known actors and turning them into stars, so who knows what will happen after the season is over? The only actor on this list I recognized was Finn Bennett, who did a fantastic job in True Detective: Night Country, as Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen. He has a bit of a Targaryen look to him, doesn't he?
Should the show get a second season, we expect Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell to be the only actors to carry on, with the supporting cast being filled out with new performers playing new characters. And that would happen again if the show gets a third season. That would take HBO to the end of the published material, although Martin has said he has plans for more novellas down the line. HBO could theoretically go ahead with more source material, but that's a bridge best crossed when we come to it.
When will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere?
HBO has not revealed a firm premiere date for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. However, official sources have said that it's coming out in either summer 2025 or "late 2025." So while we don't have an exact date, we know A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will air in the back half of this year.
How many episodes will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have?
Most seasons of Game of Thrones ran for 10 full episodes. It looks like future seasons of House of the Dragon will run for only eight episodes. The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will have only six episodes.
What's more, since the source material is on the slim side, those episodes are likely to be shorter than fans are used to. This could be seen as a negative, but in the case of this smaller, lighter story, it fits. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms simply is not a huge honking epic like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are, and as long as HBO doesn't try and try and sell it is one anyway, I don't think the smaller episode count will be a problem.
George R.R. Martin "loves" A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R.R. Martin has seen advance copies of all six episodes from the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, although the last two were in rough cut form. "I loved them," he wrote. "Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible. The rest of the cast are terrific as well. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm. and Tanselle Too-Tall."
"It’s as faithful as adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on that particular subject). Viewers who are looking for action, and more action, and only action… well, this one may not satisfy you. There’s a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry and all it means."
"[The Hedge Knight] ranks as one of the best stories I’ve ever written, and I am so so so pleased that [writers, producers and directors] Ira Parker, Ti Mikkel, Aziza Barnes (may they rest in peace), Owen Harris, and our astonishing cast and crew did right by them," Martin continued. "I hope you will love the show as much as I do." So do I.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.