The Game of Thrones TV-verse is only expanding. HBO has plenty more tales from author George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe that it can tell — and you better believe it’s gonna tell ’em. Next up is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will follow the adventures of the unlikely duo of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg. Their journey takes place roughly a hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, after the last dragon has died.
Ser Duncan, or “Dunk,” and Egg are characters from Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight. Martin is credited as co-creator and executive producer on the show along with Ira Parker, who has previously written for the prequel House of the Dragon.
Some were hesitant about the idea of a Game of Thrones spin-off when House of the Dragon was first announced — after all, it seemed like an impossible task to capture the magic of the original fantasy drama, much less move past the frustration of the final season. But the series proved the naysayers wrong when it premiered in 2022. So don’t blame us if we have high expectations for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off, from who plays Ser Duncan and Egg and different Targaryens, and when the show is coming out.
ALSO READ: House of the Dragon Season 2 review: The Game of Thrones formula isn’t fresh, but it’s still effective
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms latest news
At HBO Chairman Casey Bloys’ 2026 global programming slate presentation on Nov. 20, he announced the renewal of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for a second season. The news comes ahead of the show’s premiere in January 2026. HBO also announced that Season 2 is set to be released in 2027.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ renewal was shared alongside news about another Game of Thrones series. The prequel House of the Dragon has been renewed for a fourth season, ahead of its third season premiere in summer 2026. “We are thrilled to be able to deliver new seasons of these two series for the next three years, for the legion of fans of the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “Together, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms reveal just how expansive and richly imagined George R. R. Martin’s universe continues to be. In January, I think audiences will be delighted by the inspiring underdog tale of Dunk and Egg that George and Ira Parker have captured so beautifully. And this summer, House of the Dragon is set to ignite once again with some of its most epic battles yet.”
When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms coming out?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
ALSO READ: The best shows on HBO and Max right now
How many episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are there, and how long are they?
Don’t expect 13 episodes of hour-long television with this one. There will only be six episodes in the first season, and they’ll each run roughly half an hour, a first for a Game of Thrones series.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms teasers and trailers
HBO released the first teaser trailer for the series at New York Comic Con, and it emphasizes the series’ lighter tone. The video teases Ser Duncan the Tall’s backstory — he says he was squire to Ser Arlan of Pennytree since he was a boy. Viewers are also introduced to Dexter Sol Ansell’s Egg, and it’s obvious the two don’t exactly start off on the right foot. After Duncan introduced himself to the young boy, Egg replied that he’s never heard of his name. “Do you know every knight in the Seven Kingdoms, then?” Duncan said. To which Egg responded, “The good ones.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has found its Daeron Targaryen — not to be confused with the Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon. According to Variety, Henry Ashton has been cast as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Daeron, a different character from the Daeron of House of the Dragon.
The outlet also reported more new additions to the cast. They include Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree.
On April 5, HBO announced the leads of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Peter Claffey is starring as Ser Duncan the Tall, and Dexter Sol Ansell will play his squire, Egg.
Claffey is an actor and former Connacht Rugby player who has appeared in Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters; his other projects include the Cillian Murphy film Small Things Like These and Season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla. Ansell played Young Coriolanus Snow in the 2023 movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Finn Bennett and Bertie Carvel have also joined the series as Aerion Targaryen and Baelor Targaryen, respectively. Tanzyn Crawford is set to play Tanselle, while Daniel Ings play Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Sam Spruell has also joined the cast and will be playing Maekar Targaryen.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
Here’s the logline 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.”
For context, House of the Dragon takes place two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. So you can think of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as being sandwiched in the middle.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms behind the scenes
Sarah Adina Smith, whose credits include Lessons in Chemistry and Hanna, will direct three of the show’s six episodes. Owen Harris, who directed Black Mirror episodes “San Junipero” and “Be Right Back,” joined as executive producer in May and will direct the other three episodes.
HBO announced in April 2023 that George R. R. Martin — author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as the prequel novellas that inspired this show — will be writing and executive producing the prequel series. Ryan Condal — who co-created House of the Dragon with Martin — and Vince Gerardis are also executive producers on the project, alongside Owen Harris.
On May 7, 2023, Martin wrote on his blog that the writers room for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms had shut down because of the writers strike. In the post, the author shared that he was standing with the Writers Guild of America in spirit. “I am not in LA, so I cannot walk a picket line as I did in 1988,” Martin wrote. “But I want to go on the record with my full and complete and unequivocal support of my Guild.” Pre-production resumed after the conclusion of the strike.
ALSO READ: New Max and HBO shows and movies to watch
How to watch Game of Thrones and its spin-offs
Game of Thrones and spin-off series House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max.
