Game of Thrones is going full-on buddy drama with the latest trailer for a new prequel series based on novellas by GOT creator George R.R. Martin.
Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones and 72 years before House of the Dragon, HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows “two unlikely heroes [in] Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” according to the synopsis. “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.”
While the series willl surely features GoT ‘s signature brand of medieval fantasy drama, the trailer also infused with levity via the doofy antics of its humble main character Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, as portrayed by Peter Claffey, who can be seen struggling with indoor navigation and getting ribbed for being a lowly hedge knight, which is “like a knight, only sadder.” At the trailer’s climax, “Dunk” is seen doing his best Spartan impression while addressing several spectators: “Has honor deserted the noble houses of Westeros? Are there no true knights among you?” He’s met with crickets and sheepishly delivered disproval from his sidekick, Aegon “Egg” Targaryen, played by Dexter Sol Ansell.
Martin, who serves as executive producer and wrote the Tales of Dunk and Egg books on which the series is based, previously wrote on his blog that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes a “much different tone” than GoT or House of the Dragon, albeit with the caveat, “It’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe.”
“The Dunk & Egg novellas are fully-fleshed narratives more like the novels of A Song of Ice & Fire than the imaginary history of Fire & Blood,” wrote Martin in 2023, according to Deadline. “The stories are right there on the page, and our goal is to produce faithful adaptations of those tales for the screen.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also stars Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion.
The prequel series arrives on January 18, 2026. Watch the official final trailer below.
