The other day, we learned that HBO was delaying its new Game of Thrones prequel show A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The series, based on the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin, was originally due to air later this year. Now it's gonna air sometime in 2026.
Why did this happen? We don't know. Filming on the first season wrapped in September of 2024. Early impressions of the show have been great, and HBO executives have talked openly about planning more seasons. If I want to put an optimistic spin on this news, I might speculate that HBO wants the first season to air next year so there isn't a huge gap between it and season 2, which may or may not happen. But that's guesswork. Mostly I'm just bummed, because I was looking forward to watching this lighter take on the Game of Thrones universe and I figured it would help fans get through the wait for the third season of House of the Dragon, which is also due out next year...hopefully.
This was revealed at Warner Bros. Discovery's Upfronts presentation, where they present their upcoming lineup of movies and shows to the press. I was hoping to get a trailer and a release date for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, not a delay announcement. According to Variety, press did get to see a first-look trailer, but HBO has yet to release it for the public. The most we've seen is this logo. Try to ignore the little "2026" at the bottom:
So it's the title of the show with a tree in the background. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows the adventures of a very tall knight knight named Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his diminutive, precocious squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Before they meet up, Dunk was serving as a squire to an old knight named Ser Arlan of Pennytree, but the story begins with Dunk burying Ser Arlan after he dies of a chill as the two are making their way to a tournmanet at Ashford Meadow. That's what the tree means.
That sounds heavy, and it is, but overall, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be funnier and more light-hearted than either Game of Thrones, which is set decades later, or House of the Dragon, which is set decades before. It will air on HBO and HBO Max...eventually.
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