HBO's next Game of Thrones' ending, and is hopefully the right approach.

That caution also extends to the kinds of spinoffs they've made so far: that is, sticking close to Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon, while telling its own story with the next Game of Thrones spinoff, however, which is coming up later in 2025.

Game Of Thrones' Next Spinoff Being Very Different Is A Good Thing

The Franchise Needs To Branch Out

HBO's formula for Game of Thrones works, and the results can be spectacular, but there's much more to Martin's world than these epic, action-packed, dragon-filled stories about Great Houses and the Iron Throne. That's exactly the purpose The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas serve, and it'll be true of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' story too. The show follows Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his squire, Egg, on their journeys around Westeros. Season 1, which adapts the first novella, is set during the tourney at Ashford, where Dunk has an unfortunate run-in with a Targaryen prince.

The Dunk and Egg stories are not only much lighter in tone, shorter in length, and less epic in scale, but they also put their focus elsewhere: instead of characters from noble houses, the main hero is a hedge knight who comes from nothing. While there's more to his newfound companion, Egg, than meets the eye, he is still just a child, and it creates a humorous Lone Wolf and Cub-esque dynamic. As Martin himself said about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms [via Collider]:

"I've seen Dunk and Egg, the first season, and it's great, and now they're working on the second season. Those are two characters were really special to me, and they're unusual, those characters. They're not what most people would expect in a fantasy story. It's a little softer. It's a little more humorous. I hope the audience will be open to that kind of change."

Martin's novellas are a wonderful accompaniment to A Song of Ice and Fire, in part because they're different. The same should be true of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It can highlight that there's much more to this world beyond stories and characters similar to those in Game of Thrones; when you get down to the hedge knights and the smallfolk, while they may not be wealthy, they're every bit as rich.

Any major franchise must diversify the types of stories it tells - we've seen it with juggernauts like the MCU and Star Wars - and Thrones should be no exception.

Any major franchise must diversify the types of stories it tells - we've seen it with juggernauts like the MCU and Star Wars - and Thrones should be no exception. My major concern is whether as many people will tune in to a show that doesn't have that epic feel or the same iconography, as it could be seen as less important or worthy of viewing time, and I really hope that's not the case. But in of quality, there's no denying this is an exciting prospect.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Will Benefit House Targaryen

It Will Add Even More To Their History & Lore

Although it's a different kind of story, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms does have Targaryens - lots of them, in fact. Dunk's interactions with the family are a core part of the first book and, thus, the first season, and it'll be a chance to highlight the many different sides to the family. There will be some who are detestable and vicious, not dissimilar to, say, Viserys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, but also those who are truly decent and just.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 does not have a release date yet, but is expected to release on HBO and Max in late-2025. House of the Dragon season 3 is then expected to return sometime in 2026.

It can also add more context, examples, and weight to things like dragon dreams, which do play a part in this story. Likewise, House Targaryen's history unfolds through the pages of Dunk and Egg, and should be the same in the TV show. Key events such as the Blackfyre Rebellion hang over the narrative, and it means the Game of Thrones franchise can further flesh these out on screen even without showing them. It can have a very different core story, and yet still expand the lore and history of the world in fascinating ways, which makes this a win-win.

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  A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

  Action

  Drama

  Fantasy

  Network

  HBO

  Directors

  Owen Harris

  Writers

  Martin Parker, Ira Parker

  Franchise(s)

  Game of Thrones

  Cast

  See All

  • 
    Peter Claffey

    Ser Steffon Fossoway
  • 
    Dexter Sol Ansell

    Egg
  • 
    Finn Bennett

    Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall
  • 
    Bertie Carvel

    Aerion Targaryen

  Based on a set of prequel novellas by George R. R. Martin, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight takes place one hundred years before Game of Thrones. The series follows a knight and a squire who travel across the lands of Westeros during one of the most tumultuous times in the nation's history.

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  Game of Thrones

  11

  9.5/10

  Created by

  George R.R. Martin

  First TV Show

  Game Of Thrones

  Cast

  Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey

  TV Show(s)

  Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

  Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.

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