HBO has unveiled the first trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, its next Game of Thrones prequel series, during a packed panel at New York Comic Con. The series, officially titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, will premiere on January 18, 2026, on HBO and Max, bringing viewers back to Westeros a century before the events of Game of Thrones.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas, the show follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall, a humble but valiant knight, and his young squire Egg, who carries a secret identity that ties him to House Targaryen. In Martin’s timeline, the story unfolds roughly 72 years after House of the Dragon and 100 years before Game of Thrones—an era when the Targaryens still rule but their dragons have vanished from the world.
Martin, who appeared at the NYCC panel alongside showrunner Ira Parker and lead actors Peter Claffey (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg), said the new series allowed him to focus on a part of Westeros that has rarely been explored on screen: the tournaments. “I always loved medieval tournaments in other pictures,” Martin explained. “We had several in Game of Thrones, but they were background. I wanted to do something where a tournament was at the center. I challenged the writers to make the best jousting sequences ever filmed.”
Parker echoed that ambition, teasing one standout nighttime joust as “badass” and emphasizing the show’s gritty tone. “Our guiding light was to follow Dunk’s perspective — the mud, the dirt, the closeness. It’s not the big sprawling Game of Thrones you’ve come to know; it’s more intimate and grounded,” he said. “We flooded the field with mud, with everything that makes a tournament feel real and painful. You’ll feel every bit of it.”
Claffey, who previously appeared in Vikings, admitted that the toughest part of production was mastering horse riding, while Ansell recalled that the full-scale set built in Northern Ireland’s Glenaran — depicting the tourney grounds of Ashford — was overrun with wasps during filming. Between takes, the pair bonded over games of Super Mario Kart.
Martin described A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as “much shorter” than its predecessors, with a distinct tone that leans more personal than political. “It’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe,” he reminded fans, while teasing that episode six will be a defining moment for both Dunk and Egg.
The series represents HBO’s latest expansion of its Game of Thrones universe, following House of the Dragon, which is set to continue with a third season. If successful, Martin hopes to adapt The Sworn Sword, the second novella in the Dunk and Egg saga, further exploring this smaller yet emotionally rich corner of his world.
