‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ — Everything We Know So Far

Peter Claffey
Steffan Hill/HBO
Steffan Hill/HBO

Exciting news for Game of Thrones fans: According to HBO boss Casey Bloys, there will be two Game of Thrones shows coming out in 2026 on the cable network. One is House of the Dragon Season 3, but before that will come the new spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The series is a prequel set 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It was originally set for a 2025 premiere date, but as previously reported, that date was pushed. Deadline now reports that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere in January 2026.

As for House of the Dragon Season 3, that prequel will return in summer 2026, June at the earliest.

“I think it’ll be just outside of [the 2026 Emmy eligibility window],” Bloys said of House of the Dragon‘s Season 3 premiere date. The 2026 Emmy window is June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026, so House of the Dragon Season 3 will premiere in June at the earliest. That means the third season will be eligible for Emmys at the 2027 Emmy Awards.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms started filming on June 18, 2024. Below, we’re rounding up everything you need to know about the much-anticipated project so far, from cast and creatives involved with the series to the premiere date and beyond. Stay tuned for additional details in the months ahead as the show’s debut approaches.

When will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere?

HBO previously teased that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was anticipated to arrive in 2025, but it has since been revealed that the series will debut in 2026. According to Variety, the 2026 premiere was unveiled during Warner Bros. Discovery’s Upfront presentation in May 2025, but it was indicated that the show would arrive in the winter. The January 2026 date implies that the premiere date wasn’t pushed that much after all.

An exact premiere date will be announced at a later time.

What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?

The official logline of the series states, “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.”

George R.R. Martin

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

In other words, this series is closer in the timeline to Game of Thrones than House of the Dragon, which is set roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The show is based on George R.R. Martin‘s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Who is in the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast?

Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell play the central duo, Ser Duncan the Tall, a.k.a. Dunk, and Egg. Claffey is an actor and former Connacht Rugby player with credits in shows such as Apple TV+‘s Bad Sisters and Wreck. He’s slated to star alongside Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These and Season 3 of Netflix‘s Vikings: Valhalla.

Meanwhile, Ansell began acting at the age of four in ITV’s Emmerdale. His other credits include The Midwich Cuckoos, Christmas on a Mistletoe Farm, and he most recently portrayed young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell for 'A Knight of the Seven Kings: The Hedge Knight'

Courtesy of HBO

Additional cast members who have been announced include True Detective: Night Country‘s Finn Bennett who will play Aerion Targaryen, The Crown‘s Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Servant‘s Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, The Gentlemen‘s Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Fargo‘s Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen.

In August 2024, it was confirmed by Deadline that the show’s cast would also include Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree.

Who is making A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

The series is written and executive-produced by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker. Meanwhile, additional executive producers include Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw. Additionally, Harris, who directed Martin’s favorite episode of Black Mirror, “San Junipero,” will officially direct the first three installments of the series. It has since been announced that Sarah Adina Smith will direct the other three episodes.

Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms still filming?

In June 2024, HBO unveiled a first-look image teasing that production had begun on the series. The photo at the top of the page offers a glimpse of Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall. Since then, young star Ansell posted a video to Instagram announcing the wrap of production, “after a few months” of filming. See his sweet farewell to the season’s filming here:

 

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A post shared by Dexter Sol Ansell (@dextersolansell)

How long will A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms run for?

According to Martin’s blog, the series will be shorter than Game of Thrones and the current prequel, House of the Dragon. However, Martin teased that The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight may follow if it does well; plus, Martin has also indicated an interest in making more Dunk & Egg stories after he finishes writing The Winds of Winter.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Series Premiere, January 2026, HBO and HBO Max