HBO has revealed when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere, along with a major change coming to the Game of Thrones spinoff that sets this series apart from its predecessors.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a prequel series set 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones and based on George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. It was originally scheduled for a 2025 premiere date, but as previously reported, that date was pushed back. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres in January 2026, with an exact premiere date to be announced at a later time.
The show’s big change for the franchise: There will be no opening title sequence, which means no Game of Thrones theme music used in the original series and House of the Dragon. Game of Thrones‘ opening credits and theme song are some of TV’s most iconic title sequences. It was recreated in a new form for House of the Dragon, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will only have a title card with medieval typography that pops up between the action in each episode. Series co-creator Ira Parker told Entertainment Weekly that this decision was made to align with the essence of the show’s main character, Dunk (Peter Claffey), the titular hedge knight.
“All decisions came down to Dunk, trying to channel the type of person he is into every aspect of this show, even the title sequence,” Parker said. “The title sequences on the original [Game of Thrones] and House of the Dragon are big and epic and incredible. Ramin Djawadi’s score is orchestral and large, and beautiful. That’s not really Dunk’s M.O. He’s plain and he’s simple and he’s to-the-point. He doesn’t have a lot of flash to him.”
Parker, a former writer on House of the Dragon, detailed more stylistic changes in this story that set it apart from the rest of the franchise. First and foremost, this is a tale about the everyday folk of Westeros, not anyone from the upper class.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms started filming on June 18, 2024. Below, we’re rounding up everything you need to know about the much-anticipated project so far, from cast and creatives involved with the series to the premiere date and beyond. Stay tuned for additional details in the months ahead as the show’s debut approaches.
When does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere?
Expect the series to come out in January 2026 on HBO, streaming on HBO Max.
What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?
Peter Claffey in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)
The official logline of the series states, “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.”
In other words, this series is closer in the timeline to Game of Thrones than House of the Dragon, which is set roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Parker said Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set just over 50 years after the death of the last dragon in the Targaryen dynasty before Daenerys Targaryen brings them back.
“Nobody’s thinking about magic,” Parker said of this world. “This could basically be 14th-century Britain. This is hard-nose, grind it out, gritty, medieval knights, cold with a really light, hopeful touch. It’s a wonderful place to be. We are ground up in this series; we are starting right at the bottom. We’re not with the lords and ladies, the kings and queens.”
Dunk was the squire to a hedge knight (a wandering knight without a master) named Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). When Arlan dies, Dunk knights himself and sets off to compete in the Ashford Meadow tournament to earn some money. He meets the bald Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) on his way, and the young boy is determined to squire for Ser Duncan the Tall. Dunk carries a wooden shield, a scrappy rope as a sword belt, and he has three horses to whom he frequently talks.
Dunk has a very naive innocence and operates based on how a knight should act. He has very little money and connections, but he has his knightly ideals.
“You don’t exactly know the final destination, but you just keep at it,” Parker said. “That’s all Dunk has. That’s his only superpower. He gets up and, one foot in front of the other, he keeps going.”
Who is in the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast?
Courtesy of HBO
Claffey and Ansell (above) play the central duo, Ser Duncan the Tall, a.k.a. Dunk, and Egg. Claffey is an actor and former Connacht Rugby player with credits in shows such as Apple TV+‘s Bad Sisters and Wreck. He’s slated to star alongside Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These and Season 3 of Netflix‘s Vikings: Valhalla.
Meanwhile, Ansell began acting at the age of four in ITV’s Emmerdale. His other credits include The Midwich Cuckoos, Christmas on a Mistletoe Farm, and he most recently portrayed young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Additional cast members who have been announced include True Detective: Night Country‘s Finn Bennett, who will play Aerion Targaryen, The Crown‘s Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Servant‘s Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, The Gentlemen‘s Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Fargo‘s Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen.
The cast also includes Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, 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.
Who is making A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
The series is written and executive-produced by Martin and Parker. Meanwhile, additional executive producers include Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw. Additionally, Harris, who directed Martin’s favorite episode of Black Mirror, “San Junipero,” will officially direct the first three installments of the series. It has since been announced that Sarah Adina Smith will direct the other three episodes.
There will be six episodes total in Season 1.
What books is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms based on?
Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight (1998), the first story in Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg. That book series also includes The Sworn Sword (2003) and The Mystery Knight (2010).
Is there a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms trailer?
Not yet, but HBO debuted a short teaser in 2024 that gave the first look at Dunk and Egg. See them in the Instagram video below.
How long will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms run for?
According to Martin’s blog, the series will be shorter than Game of Thrones and the current prequel, House of the Dragon. However, Martin teased that The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight may follow if it does well; plus, Martin has also indicated an interest in making more Dunk & Egg stories after he finishes writing The Winds of Winter.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Series Premiere, January 2026, HBO and HBO Max
