If you follow George R.R. Martin’s blog (helpfully titled Not a Blog), you will know that several different Game of Thrones prequels, sequels and spin-offs have been in development for some time now, the most famous of which is Snow starring Kit Harington. However, one of these – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight – has now officially been picked up and gone straight to series order by HBO Max.
HBO Max’s tweet provides the very brief synopsis; “A century before Game of Thrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.” It also mentions that GRRM will be executive producing. A press release provides a more detailed logline.
“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros…a young, naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
Given the critical and viewership success of prequel series House of the Dragon, which is set around 200 years before Game of Thrones, The Hedge Knight feels like a safe bet for the newly-named streaming service Max.
As well as The Hedge Knight and Snow, two more Game of Thrones series are in development – Ten Thousand Ships and Sea Snake. Martin said on his blog; “Please note: nothing has been greenlit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be… on any of these shows. The likelihood of all four series getting on the air… well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually.”
While we wait for more news on The Hedge Knight, check out our guide to the best fantasy series.