Game of Thrones mastermind and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin is working on a fourth Dunk and Egg book, according to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker.
The HBO showrunner opened up about the future of the fantasy spinoff during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. While his adaptation of Martin’s Dunk and Egg stories has only received a green light for up to Season 2, he’s stated in the past that he’d love to expand this live-action version of the tales of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
If all goes well, he’s hoping to expand into three seasons “or maybe four or five.” Part of what might help A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms move forward is if Martin can finish the next Dunk and Egg chapter on time.
“Book four, which George is working on, takes place in a very cool location,” Parker teased. “And five is the last story point of Egg as a boy. So it’s a very natural ending place for us to take a break and come back when Dexter is older. So then we can do Egg the Prince, do some politics, do some fun stuff in Summer Hall and King’s Landing, and get a different vibe where they’re not on the road all the time.”
Martin has previously expressed his interest in continuing the Dunk and Egg series of novellas. For now, however, that wing of the Game of Thrones universe is limited to The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight. According to Parker, Martin is hoping to make that change, though he failed to elaborate on that “very cool location.”
Meanwhile, Martin has, of course, been infamously reluctant to publish the penultimate installment in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter. Although he’s not thrilled how long it’s taken either, the 77-year-old author doesn’t exactly have a backup plan if he’s unable to finish it before he dies. Where this alleged fourth Dunk and Egg novella falls on the ever-expanding release timeline remains a mystery.
As for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Parker had expressed interest in taking a break between later seasons to allow the actors to age accordingly. It’s an idea that HBO executives have mostly given him “eye rolls” over, though it sounds like they’re “not completely” turned off by it.
“So if the show wraps and people are still OK with everything we’re doing and there’s still an appetite,” Parker continued, “let the show evolve along with our leads, with myself and with the rest of our creative team as we grow older and the world changes and we want to say different things. I think that would be a lovely way to tell a story about these two guys through the course of their lives.”
Parker previously stated that, while he doesn’t believe A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms seasons will outpace Martin’s work, the author has at least provided the HBO team with 12 outlines for future stories. Although these were described as a rough look at the road ahead, it sounds like the Dunk and Egg show could continue for a while longer, should enough viewers ask for it.
Parker also teased that he and the team have laid eyes on some of Martin’s unpublished work.
“He gave me some unpublished pages — actual written prose he found in his files somewhere that he sent over, and we used them,” he added.
While we wait for more Dunk and Egg and continue waiting for The Winds of Winter, you can see what IGN thought of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 in our 8/10 review. You can also check out the latest update on Season 2.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
