Game Of Thrones Dunk & Egg Spin-Off Has A “Much Different Tone,” GRRM Says

The next Game of Thrones spin-off series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is moving ahead at HBO, and now George R.R. Martin has shared a little more insight into what to expect from it. Posting on his blog, Martin said the team recently had their first table read, and it “went great.”

The series, which is based on Martin’s 160-page novella in his Dunk & Egg series, will be “a lot shorter” than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, he said. There are six episodes in all. It will also have a “much different tone,” he said.

“But it’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe,” he said.

Screenwriter Ira Parker is leading the team making A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Martin said Parker and the squad are “doing a great job” so far. He said he hopes to visit the set in July.

Martin also confirmed that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is tapped to debut in 2025, adding that if it’s a success, there could be additional shows based on his Dunk & Egg novellas “Sworn Sword” and “The Mystery Knight.” Martin also mentioned how he plans to write more Dunk & Egg stories, but–critically–not until he’s finished with the next entry in the main series, The Winds of Winter.

The series follows the story of two unlikely heroes wandering through Westeros. These are the young and naive knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). You can see Ansell have his head shaved in the video below to prepare for the role.

Three of the six episodes will be directed by British filmmaker Owen Harris. Martin said he is a big fan of Harris’ work, including his all-time favorite episode of Black Mirror, “San Junipero.”.

In other Game of Thrones news, the other spin-off series that was under consideration, a show about Jon Snow starring Kit Harington, is no longer moving ahead. House of the Dragon, meanwhile, returns for its highly anticipated second season on June 16.