"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" Final Trailer: A Young Knight (Peter Claffey) and a Secret Targaryen Squire (Dexter Sol Ansell) Set Out on a Sweeping Westeros Adventure in HBO's GoT Prequel Series
📺 George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas come to life as a humble knight and his secretly royal squire roam a softer-but-still-deadly Westeros where tournaments and Targaryen secrets collide.
In the ruthless land of Westeros, legends are usually carved in fire and blood. But does that mean all heroes must be chiseled out by hard rock and cold steel? Could someone emerge out of these kingdoms with the heart of a lion and the courage to stand tall even without a crown? That’s the question at hand as HBO looks to expand George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones universe with yet another spinoff prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
But before you assume this is yet more royal backstabbing and palace politics spilling blood across Westeros, where innocent peasants and villagers are the ones to feel the brunt of the fallout, think again. This new series looks far less interested in the salacious cruelty and vulgarity of those in power and far more focused on how someone might move through this brutal world and still hold on to a sense of honor and decency… even when those things feel more like a dwindling commodity.
In essence, this might be a fun romp through Westeros. A kind of old-school heroism that has been seriously lacking in this HBO franchise, where noble intentions usually end up buried under scheming, bloodshed, or dragon fire. Dare we say, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might be a show you can watch with your family and not feel that rush of discomfort after a savage scene of slaughter or a sequence of unbridled nudity. Then again, it is a George R. R. Martin production, so innocence only goes so far before someone loses a limb, a title, or a tournament they probably shouldn’t have entered in the first place.
Set a century before Game of Thrones and decades after House of the Dragon, this six-episode first season adapts Martin’s beloved collection of three previously released novellas: The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2010), which together make up the “Tales of Dunk and Egg.”
It’s the story of the noble young knight Ser Duncan the Tall (“Dunk”) and his squire “Egg,” a head-shaven boy who is secretly Prince Aegon Targaryen—the future king. The Dunk and Egg stories are noticeably lighter and more optimistic in tone compared to Martin’s signature brutality and complexity. And it seems this new series will lean into that spirit, offering a gentler, more character-driven corner of Westeros, framing Dunk’s journey as a kind of coming-of-age quest where a genuinely good man tries to do right as a wandering knight who still has plenty to discover.
Irish actor Peter Claffey (Bad Sisters) takes on the lead role of Ser Duncan the Tall, aka “Dunk,” a strapping and towering young knight whose ideals are as oversized as he is. Rumor has it the character is an ancestor of Brienne of Tarth (famously played by Gwendoline Christie in the original series), a connection Martin himself may have quietly hinted at through the years.
British child actor Dexter Sol Ansell, who played a young Coriolanus Snow in the prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, is co-starring as “Egg,” a sharp-tongued, shaved-head boy who talks his way into becoming Dunk’s squire. Secretly, however, Egg is Prince Aegon Targaryen, sent out by his father to experience the real world without the weight of his royal title.
Together, Dunk and Egg will wander the lower rim of Westeros, encountering the armorers, the barmaids, the blacksmiths... the real people who never make it into prophecy but live the consequences of those who do. Dunk is on a quest to fulfill his destiny of becoming a loyal and honorable knight for one of the royal families, not knowing each house carries its own shadows, secrets, and scourges waiting to test him.
So, will Dunk flounder? Will he be able to hold his integrity? Can he still cling to his honor when this merciless world eventually pushes back? If he can, that’s the true measure of a knight.
Joining Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell in the cast are the following:
Bertie Carvel ... Prince Baelor Targaryen
Daniel Ings ... Ser Lyonel “Laughing Storm” Baratheon
Danny Webb ... Ser Arlan of Pennytree
Sam Spruell ... Prince Maekar Targaryen
Shaun Thomas ... Raymun Fossoway
Finn Bennett ... Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen
Tanzyn Crawford ... Tanselle; Dornish puppeteer
Youssef Kerkour ... Steely Pate; Blacksmith
Edward Ashley ... Ser Steffon Fossoway
George R. R. Martin joins showrunner Ira Parker as executive producers on the series, while directors Owen Harris (Black Mirror: San Junipero, Mrs. Davis) and Sarah Adina Smith (Buster’s Mal Heart, Lessons in Chemistry) will take the reins for the first season, each helming three episodes, with Harris steering the first half.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to debut on Sunday, January 18th on HBO and MAX, with new episodes weekly.
Season 2 has already been ordered and will arrive sometime in 2027. HBO is planning to alternate House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms through 2028.
So, strap in: chivalry is about to make a comeback, and your knight in shining armor might just be the most unlikely hero Westeros has seen in ages.
