It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for fans of the fantasy world created by George R.R. Martin. This summer, the second season of House of the Dragon wrapped its run and then came whispers of discontent regarding how it was adapted. Only recently, the legendary author voiced his opinion on how Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal adapted the sophomore season, with Martin’s emphasis being on the killing Prince Jahaerys by Blood and Cheese. Martin has since returned to comment on yet another HBO adaptation based on his literary works.
The upcoming HBO spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is slated for release in 2025, and is adapted from Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novella trilogy. The text follows the story of the titular knight, Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, and the squire, Prince Aegon “Egg” Targaryen. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the author had nothing but praise for the work done on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, so far. He revealed he had made a visit to the show’s set, and was impressed by what he saw. The author did not fail to equally praise the upcoming adaptation’s faithfulness to its source material. Martin’s comments read:
“I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw. Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job.”
What Is ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’?
Martin’s praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, showrunner Ira Parker, is sure to come as a relief of sorts to fans, especially in light of Martin’s recent comments. When the series finally premieres on HBO in 2025, the role of the young knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, will be played by Peter Claffey, with the squire, Prince Aegon “Egg” Targaryen, portrayed by Dexter Sol Ansell. Set nearly a century before the events in the original Game of Thrones series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will see Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) handing his son, Egg, over to be tutored by Ser Duncan. A native of Flea Bottom, and ingrained with the commonfolk, Duncan and Egg will travel the Seven Kingdoms, with the prince in disguise, while he learns at the feet of the young knight. Egg will ultimately become one of the most revered Tagaryen kings as King Aegon V “The Unlikely,” and Ser Duncan would rise to become the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard.
Much of Martin’s time, for many years now, has been dedicated to the adaptation of his literary works. First came Game of Thrones, then House of the Dragon, and several other television projects that required his input. In that time, his writing has suffered, with delays experienced in the completion of the highly anticipated sixth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter. Now the author has offered a surprisingly positive update on the novel, teasing that some progress had been made, saying:
“Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both The Winds of Winter (yes) and Blood & Fire (the sequel to Fire & Blood the second part of my Targaryen history), I would have liked to turn out a lot more.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is slated to premiere in 2025. Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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