The showrunner of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has explained one of the big differences with the other two Game of Thrones series.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, due out on HBO Max in January 2026, adapts George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novella trilogy, itself a prequel to Game of Thrones set 90 years before the events of the main books.
It's a significant release for HBO Max, but it differs from Game of Thrones and prior spinoff House of the Dragon in a number of key ways, one of which will be sure to spark an instant reaction from fans.
Warning! Spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows:
As detailed by Entertainment Weekly, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms does not have an opening title sequence. This is particularly surprising given Game of Thrones’ iconic opening sequence, which is embedded in the memory of an army of fans.
Instead, as EW described it, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has “a simple title card with medieval typography in between the beginning action of each episode.”
Showrunner Ira Parker said the decision was made due to the type of show A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is and who its characters, Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, are.
“All decisions came down to Dunk, trying to channel the type of person he is into every aspect of this show, even the title sequence," Parker explained.
“The title sequences on the original [Game of Thrones] and House of the Dragon are big and epic and incredible. Ramin Djawadi’s score is orchestral and large and beautiful. That's not really Dunk’s M.O. He’s plain and he’s simple and he’s to-the-point. He doesn't have a lot of flash to him.”
Don’t expect dragons and a big, magical scale to this show, either. “Nobody's thinking about magic,” Parker said. “This could basically be 14th century Britain. This is hard nose, grind it out, gritty, medieval knights, cold with a really light, hopeful touch. It's a wonderful place to be. We are ground up in this series, we are starting right at the bottom. We're not with the lords and ladies, the kings and queens."
In March this year, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal called Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin’s criticisms of the series’ second season “disappointing.”
Drama in the Game of Thrones world began when Martin promised to dive into “everything that’s gone wrong with House of the Dragon” in August last year. It’s a promise he kept, going on to call out plot elements related to Aegon and Helaena’s children as he expressed concern for how future seasons of the show might play out. The post was eventually removed from the author’s website without explanation but not before thousands of fans — and HBO — caught wind of the grievances it presented.
But Martin sounds a lot more enthusiastic about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms than House of the Dragon — Martin teased earlier this year that he couldn’t wait to see Dunk and Egg’s story come to TV screens.
“I’ve seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them," Martin said in a blog post in January. "Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible. The rest of the cast are terrific as well. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm and Tanselle Too-Tall.”
Martin continued to celebrate A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, adding: “It’s as faithful an adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on that particular subject).”
Despite Martin’s towering praise, we’ve seen little from the show since it was announced in 2021. After locking in actors Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell to play Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, respectively, HBO went on to reveal one image from the show in June 2024. A brief teaser trailer followed in August, showing a glimpse at some of the series’ major players and a few shots of familiar Game of Thrones action.
House of the Dragon Season 3, meanwhile, is set for release early summer 2026. In a separate interview with Deadline, June was suggested.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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