Everything You Need To Know Before A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

Another year means a new installment in "A Song of Ice And Fire," George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy saga that is positively overflowing with political intrigue, epic sword fighting, and dangerous creatures both big and small. With the smashing success of the HBO adaptation "Game of Thrones" (controversial finale and all), the continent of Westeros has become one of the biggest IPs in Warner's stable. 

Luckily for them, Martin has created plenty of stories throughout the history of the continent that are ripe for adaptation. Following the launch of the prequel "House of The Dragon," we are now set to find ourselves watching a totally new perspective via "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms." In the video above, you'll learn everything you need to know about HBO's most anticipated series of the year.

This is another prequel to "Game of Thrones," but with a radically different cast of characters. Because where "Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragon" focused on the backstabbing and scandals of the royal families, "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" instead follows the lowborn hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) as he travels the land searching for a chance to prove himself. On his journey, he crosses paths with a young boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) who turns out to be none other than Prince Aegon Targaryen, who joins Duncan on his quest. In this tale, HBO might have found the perfect avenue to correct the mistakes of the past.

With so much of "House of the Dragon" set on the back of literal dragons, soaring through the sky and setting fire to the land like roaring kaiju, "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" promises to stay low to the ground. The "Dunk and Egg" novellas are short stories set 90 years before "Game of Thrones" and follow the pair as they travel along with the common people of the land, who, in Martin's other adapted series, would be nothing more than playthings for the royal houses.

Showrunner Ira Parker has revealed that "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" will be significantly shorter than either previous series; featuring six episodes, each running only a half hour long. While that might sound tiny in comparison to the epic sprawl of the other shows, this might prove to be the key to the success of "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms." It will allow this first season of the show to more or less directly translate the story of the first novella without any of the detours and padding that made the final season of "Game of Thrones" and the latest installment of "House of the Dragon" so polarizing with fans.

With only three novellas, that means a successful premiere of "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" will likely offer us at least three seasons of the show. And while these two unlikely companions won't directly interact with any of the later "Game of Thrones" characters, they will ultimately set the stage for what is to come. So, brush up on everything you need to know before "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" premieres on January 18, 2026 by watching the video above.