Summary

• 'The Hedge Knight' filming begins June 2024, marking a step closer to the 'GoT' spinoff.
• 'The Hedge Knight' was officially confirmed as a 'GoT' prequel by HBO in 2021.
• Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey have been cast in the lead roles.

With the announcement that HBO is producing a prequel to Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novella trilogy, here’s everything that’s been announced about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise has adapted multiple stories from Martin’s bibliography including A Song of Ice and Fire which became the flagship Game of Thrones series. The shows depict the fantasy, medieval world of Westeros and the fight for dominance between the many Houses and nobles of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is set between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Martin published Tales of Dunk and Egg in 1998 with The Hedge Knight and finished the trilogy with The Sworn Sword (2003) and The Mystery Knight (2010). These three novellas were then published in a collection, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015). The Max series will follow the first of these three novellas and will likely make a few tweaks to keep things fresh and unpredictable.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Latest News

The Series Casts Its Leads

With anticipation growing for the latest Game of Thrones offshoot, the most recent news sees A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast its leads. The major roles of Ser Duncan the Tall (a.k.a. Dunk) and young King Aegon V Targaryen (a.k.a. Egg) will be played by Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey, respectively. The 9-year-old Ansell has appeared in films like Netflix's Christmas on Mistletoe Farm, while the imposing Peter Claffey is a former professional rugby player and appeared in the acclaimed series Bad Sisters.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Is Confirmed

The GoT Spinoff Was Announced In 2021

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight was first teased to be in early development in 2021 (via Variety). The Game of Thrones spinoff was then confirmed on April 14, 2023, by Warner Bros. The HBO Max Twitter made a post depicting a map of the Seven Kingdoms with the overlay, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" presented by HBO Originals. The caption of the post reads, “A century before #GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.”

HBO Max also announced some of the attached crew for the spinoff series. Ira Parker, who was the co-executive producer of season 1 of House of the Dragon, and Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis, both veteran producers of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, will serve as executive producers on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Martin is also attached as a writer and an executive producer.

Game of Thrones and House of Dragons stream exclusively on Max

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Production Status

The Hedge Knight Arrives In Late 2025

Even though many details about the series are still unknown, HBO has provided a pretty clear production timeline for The Hedge Knight since announcing the project. In February 2023, it was not only revealed that the series would begin production in June 2024, but HBO would then go on to confirm that it would premiere sometime in late 2025. It's expected that a more solid release date will be provided once production gets underway.

Game of Thrones spinoff series currently in the works include:

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Cast

Ser Duncan & King Aegon V Have Been Cast

With many of the details surrounding the series still shrouded in mystery, the two lead roles have finally been cast in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The role of the noble Ser Duncan the Tall will be played by former professional rugby player-turned-actor Peter Claffey, and he will be protecting king-in-disguise Aegon V Targaryen who will be played by Dexter Sol Ansell. No other new actors have been announced thus far, and it is unclear which novella characters will be included in the story.

Too much time passes between House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight so none of the characters should appear in the new spinoff. It is also too soon for any major characters from Game of Thrones to appear, but one supporting character may briefly appear. Brynden “Bloodraven” Rivers is a brother to a Targaryen King who acts as master of whisperers in Tales of Dunk and Egg, but he will need to be recast since his original actor, Max von Sydow, passed away in 2020.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Story Details

A Century Before Game Of Thrones

They travel across Westeros, interacting with the common people and the lords and ladies under the rule of the Targaryens

HBO has released the official synopsis for the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. The Game of Thrones spin-off follows Sir Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his young but courageous squire, Egg. They travel across Westeros, interacting with the common people and the lords and ladies under the rule of the Targaryens, who are in the later stages of their rule - which may be disappointing to House Targaryen fans looking forward to dragons.

If the series follows Tales of Dunk and Egg closely, Egg will be quickly revealed as Aegon V Targaryen, the youngest son of King Maekar I Targaryen. Aegon “Egg” decides he wants to learn how the smallfolk live, and Duncan the Tall, a lowborn soldier of immense strength and skill is picked to accompany him. Egg learns what life is like for the common folk and Dunk learns about chivalry and honor. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms depicts one of the few times in Westeros when things are at peace but all the while, the seeds of the wars to come in Game of Thrones are planted.

Source: HBO Max, Variety