Westeros devotees have much to look forward to in 2024. After all, House of the Dragon‘s second season is on track after the series roared in to exceed expectations for those who haven’t forgotten the WTF-final Game of Thrones season. The Targaryen-focused prequel series has been so successful, in fact, that it almost negated the frustration from watching George R.R. Martin promise that the Winds of Winter would eventually be more than a cookbook.
It’s best to let that oddness fall by the wayside now because there’s plenty more Westeros on the way already, and that includes three other promising spinoffs, including one that is definitely happening. This show’s working title is A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, and it’s time to refresh on what we know so far.
Cast
Before we get to plot, it’s worth noting that filming will take place in 2024, and casting is currently underway. Via Winter is Coming, the UK-based Lucy Bevan casting agency put out a call for the leading roles in an HBO show that can’t be anything else:
“BOY – aged 9-10 Physically small, the character is wise beyond his years, confident and witty. He has a neutral English accent, and is white with blue/green eyes and pale skin. Must be under 4’6 and at least 9 years old by March 2024 for licensing.SOLDIER – aged 18-25 The soldier is very tall and physically strong. He has a humble disposition and is perceptive and thoughtful. Any ethnicity. Must be at least 6’4.””
Plot
In 2023, GRRM clarified that The Hedge Knight has been greenlit for a full first season, which is a promising development after the Bloodmoon prequel shot a pilot episode and subsequently got the ax. These are both good signs, actually, and confirmation that HBO learned its lesson after reshooting the “piece of sh*t” Game of Thrones pilot of yesteryear.
Martin must feel confident about this series, too, given that he wanted the so-called Dunk & Egg books to be adapted as one of the top priorities after Game of Thrones. As well, he confirmed that the “Nymeria show is still in development. So is the Sea Snake show.” The latter would make a fine followup after the planned four seasons of HotD, but before that happens, viewers shall watch The Hedge Knight, which will be based upon Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms trilogy of novellas.
Those books followed the catastrophic final events of Fire and Blood‘s Dance of the Dragons war, and these stories also came before the Game of Thrones series of books, officially known as the A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
The Hedge Knight takes place in a dragon-less Westeros and zeroes in on an unlikely pair, the valiant Ser Duncan the Tall and his much smaller squire, Egg. Although “Dunk & Egg” is the affectionate title given to these books by readers, Martin believes that this would be a terrible name for the series because it reminds him of a certain set of MTV boneheads:
“[N]o, it won’t be called TALES OF DUNK & EGG or THE ADVENTURES OF DUNK & EGG or DUNK & EGG or anything along those lines. I love Dunk and I love Egg, and I know that fans refer to my novellas as ‘the Dunk & Egg stories,’ sure, but there are millions of people out there who do not know the stories and the title needs to intrigue them too. If you don’t know the characters, DUNK & EGG sounds like a sitcom. LAVERNE & SHIRLEY. ABBOTT & COSTELLO. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD. So, no. We want ‘knight’ in the title. Knighthood and chivalry are central to the themes of these stories.”
Release Date
With filming set for 2024 and presumably no dragon-filled CGI to take place, we can cross fingers for a 2025 debut.
Trailer
Wishful thinking? For now, yes, but eventually, some preview footage will emerge.
Source: https://uproxx.com/tv/knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-hedge-knight-season-1-news-december-2023/
