A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight: Latest News, Release Date, and Everything to Know About the Game of Thrones Prequel

HBO is expanding its Game of Thrones universe. Is anyone surprised, after the massive success of House of the Dragon? The franchise's next spin-off will be the prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on the prequel novellas by George R. R. Martin. Martin is writing the series, and the show will follow the adventures of unlikely duo Dunk and Egg as they wander Westeros between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.

Some were hesitant about the idea of a Game of Thrones spin-off when House of the Dragon was first announced — after all, it seemed like an impossible task to capture the magic of the original fantasy drama, much less move past the frustration of the final season. But the series proved the naysayers wrong when it premiered in 2022. With its riveting story and Emmy-worthy performances by Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and more, House of the Dragon did not disappoint. So don't blame us if we have the highest expectations for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

Here's everything we know about the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight latest news

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knights has found its leads in Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell. Read on to find out who they will be playing in the prequel series.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight cast

On April 5, HBO announced that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has cast Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as his squire, Egg. 

Claffey is an actor and former Connacht Rugby player who has appeared in Apple TV+'s Bad Sisters; his upcoming projects include the Cillian Murphy film Small Things Like These and Season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla. Ansell played Young Coriolanus Snow in the 2023 movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight release date

We have an ETA for The Hedge Knight. The next Game of Thrones spin-off will premiere on Max in "late 2025," per The Hollywood Reporter. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shared the update on Feb. 23. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series is in pre-production now, with production expected to begin this year.

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What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight about? 

Here's the logline from HBO: "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."

For context, House of the Dragon takes place two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. So you can think of The Hedge Knight as being sandwiched in the middle. 

The Hedge Knight behind the scenes

HBO announced in April 2023 that George R. R. Martin — author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as the prequel novellas that inspired this show — will be writing and executive producing the prequel series. Ryan Condal — who co-created House of the Dragon with Martin — and Vince Gerardis are also executive producers on the project. 

On May 7, 2023, Martin wrote on his blog that the writers room for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight had shut down because of the writers strike. In the post, the author shared that he was standing with the Writers Guild of America in spirit. "I am not in LA, so I cannot walk a picket line as I did in 1988," Martin wrote. "But I want to go on the record with my full and complete and unequivocal support of my Guild." Pre-production resumed after the conclusion of the strike.

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How to watch Game of Thrones and its spin-offs

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will stream on Max. The series is expected to debut in late 2025.

Game of Thrones and spin-off series House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max.