A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be the perfect spinoff to take the Game of Thrones franchise in a new direction, especially after House of the Dragon season 2. Executive produced by Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18, 2026, on HBO Max.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms centers on Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Dunk is a hedge knight, sworn to no lord or great house controlled by Targaryens, Baratheons, or Lannisters.
House of the Dragon was the first Game of Thrones spinoff, a prequel set over 170 years before Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) time.
By design, House of the Dragon is wrapped in much of Game of Thrones‘ familiar trappings, which is sometimes to the prequel’s detriment.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Looks Like A Totally Fresh Take On The GOT Franchise
In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg attempt to eke out a meager living and survive in the far-flung corners of Westeros. Dunk and Egg move through the commoners and the plainfolk of the Seven Kingdoms, occasionally brushing against the powerful lords like the Targaryens.
Unlike House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a refreshingly back-to-basics take on life in Westeros, with decidedly lower stakes than an eternal battle for the Iron Throne. Dunk and Egg’s troubles include finding food to eat, shelter for the night, and enough coin to survive the next day.
Ser Duncan the Tall’s story is his personal expression of how to live by the virtues of a knight.
Occasionally, Dunk and Egg will run afoul of the machinations of Targeryens, Baratheons, and Lannisters, but they also meet some friendlier, lesser lords and smallfolk.
Pleasingly, Ser Duncan the Tall’s story is his personal expression of how to live by the virtues of a knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a purer theme than Game of Thrones.
House Of The Dragon Suffers From Its Game Of Thrones Similarities
As the first Game of Thrones spinoff after the flagship series’ divisive final season and finale, House of the Dragon was a safer bet to continue the franchise. House of the Dragon has Targaryens, the Iron Throne, a plethora of dragons, family infighting, political intrigue, and Ramin Djawadi’s epic theme music.
However, House of the Dragon is also not quite what Game of Thrones was at its creative apex. While still a ratings hit for HBO, House of the Dragon is also not the global phenomenon Game of Thrones was.
House of the Dragon season 2 scores 80% Fresh but has a 72% audience score as the prequel becomes bloodier with Targaryen and dragon deaths.
The Dance of the Dragons, an all-encompassing war that annihilates the Targaryens and their majestic winged super weapons, is House of the Dragon‘s unavoidably grim and heartless premise. Even more so than Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is predicated on the gruesome deaths of favorite characters.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will also have violence and death, as it is a Game of Thrones spinoff set in Westeros, after all. Promisingly, however, Dunk and Egg exist in a less complicated era of Westeros with no dragons, White Walkers, and magic dooming the Seven Kingdoms.
- Release Date
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January 18, 2026
- Network
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HBO
- Directors
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Owen Harris
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Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall
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Finn Bennett
Aerion Targaryen
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Bertie Carvel
Baelor Targaryen
