If you’ve been wondering whether HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will deliver that same classic GoT edge the answer is… not exactly. Although what we know about the prequel series is limited, we do know it won’t be released in time for the 2025 TV schedule, and it still takes place in Westeros. If you’re hoping for political intrigue and fire-breathing dragons, you might be in for a surprise. However, if you’re open to something refreshingly different, you’re in luck, because according to the show’s boss, that shift is entirely by design. And, honestly, I’m intrigued.
Showrunner and co-creator Ira Parker (a House of the Dragon alum) broke down how this new Westeros-set spinoff will trade in the large-scale royal spectacle we’ve grown used to for something more grounded and surprisingly hopeful. Parker shared his insight will speaking to Entertainment Weekly:
Nobody’s thinking about magic. 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.
And that shift in tone and direction will be immediately apparent to viewers. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms won’t even open with an iconic sprawling animated title sequence, like its predecessors. Instead, it uses a simple title card with medieval lettering that reflects the vibe of its main character, who is Ser Duncan the Tall (or “Dunk”), a humble hedge knight. As Parker puts it, “He’s plain and simple and to the point. He doesn’t have a lot of flash to him.”
A new page-to-screen adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas, the six-episode first season focuses on the bond between Dunk and his small, bald squire, Egg, who fans of the books know harbors a major Targaryen secret. The story unfolds decades after the events of House of the Dragon and about 50 years after the death of the last dragon (which Parker notes “wasn’t even much of a dragon… it couldn’t even fly.”). Magic is all but gone. Power is shifting. And the smallfolk are beginning to question the very institutions that have ruled Westeros for centuries. The showrunner continued:
To find a totally different version of this world that everybody seems to know so well was very, very appealing. The fact that we live in this world, though, where magic once existed is very interesting to me. This is the ground and the grass that has seen dragons and dragon fire before. So everything is just like how the world is, but a little stranger, a little different.
Dunk, played by Irish actor Peter Claffey, is just trying to get by. His story starts with him entering a tournament at Ashford Meadow, hoping to earn some coin and honor his late mentor. That decision kicks off a chain of events involving knights, puppeteers, scheming nobles and yes — members of the large Targaryen family tree. Even with familiar surnames and sigils, though, this isn’t a story about dynasties, but one about a man with no real advantages in life who just keeps going. Parker can relate, adding:
That’s his only superpower… He gets up, and one foot in front of the other, he keeps going.
Author George R. R. Martin has already previewed the whole season and praised the results, saying he “loved all six episodes.” Overall, with Parker confirming a consistent, small-scale POV, one that never cuts away to royalty or politics, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might just be the refreshingly human Westeros story fans didn’t know they needed.
The show is expected to premiere in early 2026 on HBO and then streaming to audiences with an HBO Max subscription, followed shortly by the release of HOTD Season 3. Also, if you’re heading to New York Comic Con, you’ll get a sneak peek during the October 9th panel featuring Parker, Martin, Claffey, and Dexter Sol Ansell (who plays Egg).