George R. R. Martin has already seen the next 'Game of Thrones' spin-off — here's his review

Our first image from "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" featuring Dunk (Peter Claffey)
(Image credit: Steffan Hill/HBO)

While we're not getting more "House of the Dragon" this year, a new "Game of Thrones" spinoff is still making its way to Max: the prequel series "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight."

While we hadn't heard much about the new show for a while, "Thrones" scribe George R.R. Martin has given us a big update about progress on the show, revealing that he's seen a cut of all six episodes and, thankfully, he "loved" them.

In a post on his personal blog, Martin said: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," for starts. It's done. Ira [Parker] and his team wrapped the first season months ago, and moved right on to post-production.

"I've seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them. Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible. The rest of the cast are terrific as well. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm. And Tanselle Too-Tall."

"It's as faithful an [sic] adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for," he added, concluding with "I hope you will love the show as much as I do."

How's that for high praise?

What else have we learned about 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'?

Coming to Max in 2025 | The White Lotus, Peacemaker, Hacks, The Last of Us & More - YouTube Coming to Max in 2025 | The White Lotus, Peacemaker, Hacks, The Last of Us & More - YouTube
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The series is based on "The Hedge Knight", the first short story about Ser Duncan the Tall (played by Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Ser Duncan hails from Flea Bottom, and makes his way to the town of Ashford, where he aims to participate in a tourney of sorts.

Martin has cautioned against expecting the level of excitement seen in "House of the Dragon's" most explosive episodes, though. "Viewers who are looking for action, and more action, and only action… well, this one may not satisfy you.

"There’s a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry and all it means," he wrote in the same post.

One big question remains: When will "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" arrive on HBO and Max? Well, Martin also offered a clue on that front, too.

"The series will make its debut late this year, I am now told. How late, I could not say. Maybe in the fall," he wrote.

As a release window, that's not too precise, but with "The White Lotus" season 3 and "The Last Of Us" season 2 coming up in the next few months, it already seemed like "The Hedge Knight" wouldn't be coming our way soon. At least we know it's definitely airing in 2025.

Hopefully, we'll get more info about the new show soon. And if you need something to keep you entertained in the meantime, be sure to check out our guides to the best Max shows and the shows like "Game of Thrones" to stream next.

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Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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