Next year, HBO will debut its second Game of Thrones spinoff series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The series, based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, takes viewers back nearly 100 years before the events of the main series to follow the adventures of the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Aegon V Targaryen.
Ahead of the new Game of Thrones series, we’ve put together this overview of what you can expect from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, from its story and setting to its episode count and cast.
This article does not contain any spoilers for the Dunk and Egg novellas.
Meet Dunk and Egg.
A sneak peek of the @HBO Original Series #AKnightOfTheSevenKingdoms, coming in 2025 to Max. pic.twitter.com/n3GrJShydY
— Max (@StreamOnMax) August 5, 2024
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms About?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — set in the world of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, 89 years before Game of Thrones — follows a hedge knight named Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall and his squire, Prince Aegon ‘Egg’ Targaryen. The story chronicles the duo’s travels, from a tourney gone awry in the Reach to a treacherous wedding in the Riverlands.
Here’s the official synopsis from HBO:
A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
What Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Based On?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. Three stories have been published to date: The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2010).
Season 1 will adapt the events of the first novella, The Hedge Knight.
Upcoming Dunk and Egg Novellas
Martin plans to publish additional Dunk and Eggs novellas once he’s finished work on A Song of Ice and Fire’s sixth mainline book, The Winds of Winter. In 2014, Martin expressed his desire to “write a whole series of novellas about Dunk and Egg, chronicling their entire lives.”
The next Dunk and Egg novella is set in Winterfell, according to Martin, and involves “a group of formidable Stark wives, widows, mothers, and grandmothers that I dubbed ‘the She-Wolves.’”
Other Dunk and Egg novellas Martin has planned include a Riverlands-set story called The Village Hero, as well as stories with the tentative titles The Sellsword, The Champion, The Kingsguard, The Lord Commander, “and several more in between.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Release Date, Episode Count
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is expected to debut on HBO in late 2025. The first season will include six episodes.
HBO is tentatively planning for the series to run for three seasons, one for each currently published novella, according to HBO’s Francesca Orsi.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Cast, Creative Team
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker, who alos serves as showrunner. Executive producers include Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Sarah Bradshaw, and Owen Harris.
Two directors will each helm three of Season 1’s six episodes: Owen Harris (Black Mirror) and Sarah Adina Smith (Lessons in Chemistry).
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars the following actors:
Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the TallDexter Sol Ansell as Prince Aegon ‘Egg’ TargaryenFinn Bennett as Aerion TargaryenBertie Carvel as Baelor TargaryenTanzyn Crawford as TanselleDaniel Ings as Ser Lyonel BaratheonSam Spruell as Maekar TargaryenEdward Ashley as Ser Steffon FossowayHenry Ashton as Daeron TargaryenYoussef Kerkour as Steely Pate
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
