As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, HBO has released the final trailer for the original half-hour drama series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This follows a panel for the series at CCXP Brazil.
Despite being set in the world of Westeros, this endearing tale centred on the adventures of an unexpected duo looks vastly different from almost anything we've seen in Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. That may go in its favour, though, because all signs point to this being a breath of fresh air for the popular fantasy franchise created by George R. R. Martin.
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.
Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight, the first of Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. Taking place long after House of the Dragon, the story plays out just over 50 years after the last of Westeros' dragons died. That's a rich period to explore and one we haven't seen much of on screen before.
Showrunner Ira Parker has said, "That wasn't even much of a dragon. It was a sort of gnarled thing that it couldn't even fly. If you can't fly, what are you really? They’re just a fancy lizard."
"Nobody's thinking about magic," he explains. "This could basically be 14th century Britain. This is hard nose, grind it out, gritty, medieval knights, cold with a really light, hopeful touch. It's a wonderful place to be. We are ground up in this series, we are starting right at the bottom. We're not with the lords and ladies, the kings and queens."
"To find a totally different version of this world that everybody seems to know so well was very, very appealing," Parker added. "The fact that we live in this world, though, where magic once existed is very interesting to me. This is the ground and the grass that has seen dragons and dragon fire before. So everything is just like how the world is, but a little stranger, a little different."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' cast will be led by Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg.
It will also feature 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.
George R. R. Martin is co-creator and executive producer, with Ira Parker serving in both those roles and as showrunner. Executive producers include Sarah Bradshaw, Owen Harris, Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis. Owen Harris and Sarah Adina Smith direct.
The six-episode season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuts on Sunday, January 18, at 10 pm ET/PT on HBO. It will also be available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes debuting on subsequent Sundays at the same time.