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Game of Thrones prequel The Hedge Knight: Possible release date, cast and plot

Return to Westeros for a new series set 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is based on novellas by author George R.R. Martin.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is based on novellas by author George R.R. Martin. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)

Don’t hang up your sword and shield just yet because there’s another Game of Thrones spin-off series heading our way in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

First reported by Variety in 2021 before being confirmed during Warner Bros. Discovery’s MAX presentation in early April 2023, this new series will be based on a collection of author George R.R Martin’s earlier Westeros-set stories and developed for HBO.

Under the working title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the series will take inspiration from a trio of books that Martin released between 1998 and 2010.

Set 90 years before the “Song of Ice and Fire” storyline featured in Game of Thrones, it will follow the exploits of Ser Duncan the Tall and a character named Egg who is a younger version of Aegon V Targaryen, the role played by Tom Glynn-Carney in House of the Dragon.

The series will be written and executive produced by Martin alongside Ira Parker who co-produced the first series of the latest Game of Thrones prequel series starring Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

What is the plot of the Game of Thrones: Hedge Knight prequel?

Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. (Sky/HBO)
Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. (Sky/HBO)

Game of Thrones’ latest prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will be based on three novellas that together form the Tales of Dunk and Egg. Collectively, these include 1998’s The Hedge Knight, 2003’s The Sword Sword and 2010’s The Mystery Knight — with the three stories re-released in 2015 under the title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

According to the show’s official synopsis, the prequel series will be set a whole century before the familiar events of Game of Thrones when “two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg."

The programme description continues, adding that it will be “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.”

Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. (Sky/HBO)
Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. (Sky/HBO)

According to Variety, a number of spin-offs set in Martin’s dragon and betrayal-filled universe are being planned in the wake of the success of Game of Thrones and House of The Dragon. However, besides the latter, this is the first to officially receive the green light.

When will Game of Thrones prequel The Hedge Knight debut?

With the prequel project still in the early days of development, it is currently unclear when we can expect to watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

It likely won’t arrive before late 2024. During a press event hosted by HBO in November 2023, studio boss Casey Bloys revealed that he expects the series to start shooting in spring 2024 as long as the SAG-AFTRA strike has wrapped up in time.

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