HBO has released the first trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the second prequel series set in the Game of Thrones universe, revealing a world defined by chainmail, mud, and intense jousting tournaments.
According to series creator George R.R. Martin, this focus is by design. Speaking at New York Comic-Con, Martin said he challenged the writers to create the best jousting sequences ever filmed, citing the 1952 classic Ivanhoe as his personal favorite. “We had several tournaments in Game of Thrones, they were in the background, but not the center,” he explained. “I wanted to do something set during a tournament.” Showrunner Ira Parker added that the series will feature a particularly “badass” jousting scene at night.
The official synopsis reads: “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.”
The series is set approximately 72 years after House of the Dragon and 100 years before Game of Thrones, an era where the Targaryens rule without their dragons. On his blog, Martin has noted that the prequel will be “much shorter” than its predecessors, “with a much different tone.” However, he cautioned, “it’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe.”
Parker elaborated on the series’ distinct feel, stating the creative team’s goal was to anchor the audience firmly in the perspective of the main character, Dunk. “We wanted the audience to feel what he feels. It’s not the big, sprawling Game of Thrones that we’ve come to know and love; it’s close and it’s hard,” Parker said. “We kept flooding this field with mud and dirt… the pain, the agony, the irritation, the closeness. We’re going to feel every grit of that.”
The show’s lead actors, Peter Claffey (Ser Duncan the Tall) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg), also shared their experiences. Claffey noted that horse riding was his biggest challenge, while Ansell revealed he was nine years old during filming and is now eleven. The extensive set for the town of Ashford was constructed in Northern Ireland, where, according to the cast, “there were more wasps than people.”
Martin also reflected on his career, recalling how he shifted from television writing in the 1980s and 90s to fantasy novels because his screenplays were often deemed “too big, too expensive.” The novels, he said, gave him a “border-less canvas.”
Recent key art for the series features Claffey and Ansell with the tagline, “A tall tale that became legend.” Martin and Parker have highlighted the sixth episode as a pivotal installment for the characters. Looking ahead, Martin hopes to adapt the second Dunk and Egg novella, The Sworn Sword.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is scheduled to premiere on January 18 on HBO and HBO Max.
