"House of the Dragon" season 2 might be over, but "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" — he second of the (many) "Game of Thrones" spinoffs to get off the ground — is poised to bring us another story from George R.R. Martin's rich fantasy world.
Penned by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" will introduce us to two beloved characters from a series of Martin's novellas: Dunk, the nomadic knight, and his squire, Egg.
Variety first revealed that A Dunk and Egg adaptation was in the works back in 2021. Two years later, we learned that the show, which is set roughly a century before everything that happened in the original HBO saga, had gotten a straight-to-series order at Max.
Below you'll find everything we know about "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" right now, including every confirmed star, a short synopsis of what's to come, and the disappointing update we had about the show's release.
Latest news about 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' release date
At the time of writing, Max has not confirmed the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" release date.
The latest update we've had was bad news on that front, too. As of May 2025, we've learned that the "Game of Thrones" spinoff has now been delayed to 2026.
This came from HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys, who revealed the show would now be coming our way next year at HBO Max's upfront presentation on May 14.
Previously, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told The Hollywood Reporter "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" would 'premiere in late 2025 on Max".
That sentiment was echoed by WBD exec JB Perrette. While discussing the upcoming Max password-sharing crackdown, Perrette again said the series was targeting a late 2025 release (h/t TheWrap).
In the meantime, be sure to check out our round-up of the best Max shows to find more stuff to stream while we wait for "The Hedge Knight" to arrive.
A century before @GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.Executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis, A Knight of the #SevenKingdoms: The Hedge Knight has received a straight to series order. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/MRPUke5UptApril 12, 2023
'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' plot: What's the new spin-off about?
HBO's logline for the series reads: "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".
It's widely reported that this first season of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" draws from "The Hedge Knight", the first Dunk & Egg novella, meaning we at least have a rough idea of what we might see very soon. Spoiler warning here; we're going to outline what happens in that first book
"The Hedge Knight", unsurprisingly, tells the story of how Dunk, a poor boy from Flea Bottom became a hedge knight (a wandering knight with no master). In the story, the hedge knight whom Dunk has been a squire to for many years passes away. On his deathbed, Ser Arlan of Pennytree supposedly knights Dunk.
After weighing up his options, Dunk decides to continue to the town of Ashford, in the Reach (picking up Egg en route), where he wishes to participate in a tourney. We won't spoil exactly what happens in Ashford, but we'd note that the tale sees them crossing paths with several members of the Targaryen dynasty.
Who's in the "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" cast?
The main stars of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" were named in April 2024.
Dunk will be portrayed by Peter Claffey, who you might know from the Apple TV Plus original, "Bad Sisters". Joining him as his squire, Egg, is Dexter Sol Ansell, who was recently seen in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes".
When production began, we learned the identity of plenty more stars, and who they will play in "The Hedge Knight". Below, you can find the current cast list, as of the latest announcements.
- Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall
- Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg
- Finn Bennett ("True Detective: Night Country") as Aerion Targaryen
- Bertie Carvel ("Dalgliesh") as Baelor Targaryen
- Tanzyn Crawford ("Tiny Beautiful Things") as Tanselle
- Daniel Ings ("The Gentlemen") as Ser Lyonel Baratheon
- Sam Spruell ("Fargo") as Maekar Targaryen
Is there a 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight' trailer?
As part of a big Max sizzle reel released ahead of the "House of the Dragon" season 2 finale, we saw our first footage from "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms". While that video's since been taken down, very similar brief clips appear in a more recent teaser (linked below).
Skip ahead to around the 1:30 mark, and you'll see some expert swordsmanship, and Duncan absolutely clobbering someone.
How is 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight' shaping up so far?
Given we've still not had much info about the series, it's difficult to have a definitive take on "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" just yet. But if we look at fan discussions and reviews of the three Dunk and Egg tales George R.R. Martin's written thus far, it sounds like we could be getting another must-see fantasy series soon enough.
Fans of Martin's definitely work hold the Dunk and Egg tales in high regard. They're recommended for being shorter, lighter, and a little breezier in tone than some of his other stories. Hopefully, this will make for a fun, smaller-scope addition to HBO's version of the Seven Kingdoms.
Will there be more than one season of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'?
All signs point to "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" renewal at present.
HBO's Francesca Orsi told Deadline back in February that the series is on track for a three-season run, presumably to match up with the three stories Martin has written to date.
"You're going [to] be so impressed by Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell as Dunk and Egg, the two leads", Orsi said. "So much so that we're already planning on how do we build this for the three seasons in total. We're not picking it up officially, but it's looking very good."
And in March, "Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin told Collider the show's team were already working on the next season.
"I've seen Dunk and Egg, the first season, and it's great, and now they're working on the second season," he said. "Those are two characters were really special to me, and they're unusual, those characters. They're not what most people would expect in a fantasy story."
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