George R.R. Martin Praises GAME OF THRONES Prequel Series A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE KNIGHT
George R. R. Martin recently shared his strong criticism for HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon, but when it comes to the new prequel show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, he is singing a different tune.
Martin is praising The Hedge Knight series, which will consist of six episodes and is based on hisTales of Dunk and Egg.
Martin wrote in a statement: "I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw. Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job."
Martin's praise for The Hedge Knight comes just a week after he took to his blog to address what he called "toxic" story changes in House of the Dragon. You can read all about that here. He’s clearly not happy with some of the creative decisions being made with House of the Dragon, but at least he’s please with this other show… so far.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, follows the character Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg. Dexter Sol Ansell (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) has been cast as Egg.
The series is set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, when “two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Claffey), and his diminutive squire, Egg (Ansell).”
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.”
Martin and Ira Parker are writers and executive producers on the new series. Martin has published three novellas in the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” series to date.
Those include The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2010). A collection of the three novellas, with illustrations by Gary Gianni, was published as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in 2015.
This is the second prequel series to be picked up by Max, after last year’s House of the Dragon. It is expected to air in late 2025. Black Mirror director Owen Harris will helm three of the six episodes.
The series is written and executive produced by Martin and Ira Parker. Executive producers include Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw.