'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight': Cast and everything we know
Westeros is going nowhere fast. "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is the latest "Game of Thrones" spin-off to get off the ground at HBO.
"House of the Dragon" is busy bringing the Targaryen civil war to life, but this new series is set to tell a story (written by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker) that's centered on two individuals: Dunk, the nomadic knight, and his squire, Egg.
A Dunk and Egg adaptation was first reported by Variety in 2021. rumored way back in 2021. Two years later, we learned that it had gotten a straight-to-series order at Max, making it the second of the (many) "Game of Thrones" spinoffs to get off the ground.
And while all eyes might currently be on "House of the Dragon" season 2, we've now got plenty more info about the next spin-off, which takes place roughly a century before everything that happened in the original HBO saga.
Below you'll find everything we know about "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" right now, including every confirmed star, a short synopsis of what's to come, and when (following a new update from George R.R. Martin), when we might lay eyes on it...
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' release date
At the time of writing, Max has not confirmed the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" release date.
HBO confirmed that the new series started filming in Belfast on June 18, 2024, meaning it'll be a while before we lay eyes on the show, judging by past "Thrones" show production cycles. For example, "House of the Dragon" season 2 entered production on April 11, 2023, and didn't start airing until June 16, 2024.
Even allowing for the fact that "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is a shorter series, it seems somewhat likely that this new spin-off will follow a similar pattern and not air until 2025. T
Initially, we suspected it wouldn't air until later in 2025, seeing as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told The Hollywood Reporter "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" would 'premiere in late 2025 on Max".
There's a chance that George R.R. Martin might have leaked an earlier release window, though. Per GamesRadar+, Martin wrote on his 'Not a Blog' site that the series would debut 'early next year, in 2025'. But if you visit the same page now, it now just reads 'the new show will debut in 2025'. Perhaps we'll lay eyes on the spinoff sooner than we first thought?
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' plot: What's the new spin-off about?
HBO's logline for the series reads: "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".
It's widely reported that this first season of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" draws from "The Hedge Knight", the first Dunk & Egg novella, meaning we at least have a rough idea of what we might see very soon. Spoiler warning here; we're going to outline what happens in that first book
"The Hedge Knight", unsurprisingly, tells the story of how Dunk, a poor boy from Flea Bottom became a hedge knight (a wandering knight with no master). In the story, the hedge knight whom Dunk has been a squire to for many years passes away. On his deathbed, Ser Arlan of Pennytree supposedly knights Dunk.
After weighing up his options, Dunk decides to continue to the town of Ashford, in the Reach (picking up Egg en route), where he wishes to participate in a tourney. We won't spoil exactly what happens in Ashford, but we'd note that the tale sees them crossing paths with several members of the Targaryen dynasty.
Who's in the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" cast?
The main stars of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" were named in April 2024.
Dunk will be portrayed by Peter Claffey, who you might know from the Apple TV Plus original, "Bad Sisters". Joining him as his squire, Egg, is Dexter Sol Ansell, who was recently seen in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes".
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When production began, we learned the identity of plenty more stars, and who they will play in "The Hedge Knight". Below, you can find the current cast list, as of the latest announcements.
Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg
Finn Bennett ("True Detective: Night Country") as Aerion Targaryen
Bertie Carvel ("Dalgliesh") as Baelor Targaryen
Tanzyn Crawford ("Tiny Beautiful Things") as Tanselle
Daniel Ings ("The Gentlemen") as Ser Lyonel Baratheon
Sam Spruell ("Fargo") as Maekar Targaryen
How is 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight' shaping up so far?
Given we're still in early development, it's difficult to have an opinion on "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" just yet. But if we look at fan discussions and reviews of the three Dunk and Egg tales George R.R. Martin's written thus far, it sounds like we could be getting another must-see fantasy series soon enough.
Fans of Martin's definitely work hold the Dunk and Egg tales in high regard. They're recommended for being shorter, lighter, and a little breezier in tone than some of his other stories.
Given what I've seen so far, and who's in the frame, I'm hopeful that this first installment, "The Hedge Knight" will make for a fun, smaller-scope addition to HBO's version of the Seven Kingdoms.
Hopefully, we'll get some more info about the new season soon. Martin has said that he's visiting the Belfast set in mid-July to see 'take in some jousting'; surely he'll bring some information back with him?
