Game of Thrones spinoff The Hedge Knight recruits Emmy-winning director

This summer, HBO will air the second season of House of the Dragon, their first Game of Thrones prequel series. That show has been a success so far, but can they get lightning to strike twice...or three times, if we're being pedantic?

That's the gamble HBO is taking with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, a new prequel series based on the Dunk & Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin. Chronologically, this show takes place decades after the time period of House of the Dragon but decades before the events of Game of Thrones, so you're not likely to see characters from either show turn up.

The Hedge Knight will reportedly begin preproduction this April, which means that they probably want a season ready to air sometime next year, between new seasons of House of the Dragon. That's coming up surprisingly fast given that we don't even have any inkling of who might play the main roles yet, including the enormous knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his diminuative squire Aegon "Egg" Targaryen. But we do know about someone joining the show behind the scenes, and they have some impressive credentials.

According to Redanian Intelligence, Harry Bradbeer has joined the show as a director, although it's not known if he'll direct all of the episodes or just one or two. Bradbeer has made a name for himself directing episodes of shows like Fleabag, Enola Holmes and Killing Eve; he won an Emmy for the first and a BAFTA for the last. He comes recommended.

As for the writing side of things, The Hedge Knight includes Ira Parker (who wrote the excellent fourth episode of House of the Dragon), Annie Julia Wyman, Aziza Barnes, and Hiram Martinez. Martin himself may even write an episode.

As for the show itself, it's a bit lower-key than what Game of Thrones fans may be used to. The novellas mostly follow Ser Duncan and Egg as they travel Westeros meeting colorful characters and getting mixed up in local dramas. There's still plenty of the deft character work and the behind-the-scenes scheming the series if famous for, but there's no huge war on, and we don't spend much time in the corridors of power with the ruling elite. It could provide a nice change of pace next year while we're once again waiting for the characters on House of the Dragon to mount their dragons and burn each other alive.

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