HBO news Game of Thrones spin off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsshould be different from previous shows in many notable ways. With AKotSK Slated for release in 2025, HBO is finally back to having TV based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world on an annual basis, and the new show should be a pleasant relief after the discourse surrounding Dragon House season 2. AKotSK is based on Martin’s “Dunk & Egg” novelsdetailing the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg (Aegon V Targaryen in disguise).
The Dunk & Egg soap opera trilogy was released between 1998 and 2010 before being published as a complete collection in 2015 book, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin insists on his plans to write more novels for the beloved pair of characters, which would provide more fuel for the HBO series. However, your main focus is to finish The winds of winterthe next volume of the main A Song of Ice and Fire series of books. Hopefully when the AKotSK The TV series has concluded its third season, Martin will have prepared some new material.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has just two main characters
AKotSK will be more character-centric
One of main appeals of Game of Thrones was that it explored such a widespread and extensive cast of characters. With so many narratives to keep track of, the HBO epic offered an inherent complexity, and Dragon House followed suit. The first prequel, focusing on the Dance of Dragons, was a little more focused on the events of the Targaryen dynasty, but still delivered a variety of main characters and factions to focus on. AKotSK will narrow your focus to its two central characters.
Consider The last of us or The Mandalorian as some recent examples of what this could look like.
With a more direct focus on just Dunk and Egg, the overall style of AKotSK it will be drastically different in tone, narrative pacing, complexity and more. Instead of an event-based epic with intertwining plots to follow, the new prequel show will be much more focused on drawing the viewer into the conflicts of its main protagonists, building a more direct emotional connection than the previous series offered. Consider The last of us or The Mandalorian as some recent examples of what this could look like.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a much lighter tone
Game Of Thrones prequel should offer more levity
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms should be significantly lighter in tone than the previous one Game of Thrones It shows, but it’s all relative. Keep in mind that this is still a story coming from George R.R. Martin, so there are likely to be some violent and gruesome moments. However, in terms of overall tone, the new series should offer much more fun and humor, not in the sense that it is pure comedy, but in the same style as Arya’s travels with The Hound in Game of Thrones. There will be a serious narrative, but there will also be memorable quotes and bits of humor.
Not to mention, Dunk and Egg are less harsh characters than Arya and The Hound and are generally on the more benevolent side of the spectrum in Martin’s world. The series will follow a wonderful and easy-to-create bond between two charismatic charactersset in a fantasy world that audiences are already familiar with. It will undoubtedly be the easiest to consume of HBO’s fantasy shows franchise, and none of the other close ones Game of Thrones spinoffs will offer something similar.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms visits different parts of Westeros
Viewers will see the other half of Westeros
All over Game of Thrones and Dragon Houseaudiences were introduced to many of the strongest castles in Westeros, typically corresponding to the seats of the great houses, such as Winterfell, Casterly Rock, or Riverrun. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsviewers will be given a tour of the more realistic side of Westeros. Again, the closest comparison would be Arya and The Hound, although they were traveling through the Riverlands after it had been ravaged by the War of the Five Kings, seeing it in drastic, war-torn form.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms you will explore various regions of Westeros, such as the small fort of Standfast in the Reach. While Game of Thrones demonstrates the feudal system in the Seven Kingdoms at the top level, tThe new prequel series will examine how this society works for less noble houses and common people. TV audiences will be introduced to the world of everyday life in the Seven Kingdoms under the Targaryen dynasty, something that has been explored little in any TV show to date.
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Dunk & Egg novels are much shorter than A Song of Ice and Fire
AKotSK will have a first season of 6 episodes
In addition to having a lighter tone, the Dunk & Egg novels are literally lighter books than the main Dunk & Egg series. A Song of Ice and Fire. As shown in the graphic below, Martin’s first novel in the series A Game of Throneswhich was equivalent to the 1st season of Game of Thronesit was 292,727 words in total. A Storm of Swordswhich was divided into Game of Thrones seasons 3 and 4, had 414,604 words. In comparison, all three Dunk & Egg novels combined are just 106,721 words. This means adapting each to a television season will likely require some narrative inflation.
A Song of Ice and Fire Books |
Word count |
---|---|
A Game of Thrones |
292,727 |
A Storm of Swords |
414,604 |
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Three Novels) |
106,721 |
HBO’s plan is for each season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will have six episodes, which means it will have the shortest seasons Game of Thrones franchise. THE first novel, The Walking Knightwill compose the story of the six episodes that premiere in 2025hence the show’s much shorter production schedule. Hypothetically speaking, with limited CGI and shorter seasons, AKotSK could release more frequently than Dragon Houseresponding to complaints about 2-year delays in TV seasons. But that remains to be seen.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will not have dragons
Dragons went extinct years before AKotSK
Speaking of limited CGI, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place under the reign of the Targaryen Dynasty, but takes place after all the dragons have died. As viewers know Game of Thronesthere were no dragons at the beginning of the showas the species died out in Westeros over 100 years ago. In the general timeline, AKotSK takes place about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 80 years after the Dance of the Dragons, meaning the Targaryen kings have reigned without dragons for decades at this point.
The addition of dragons as a prominent feature of the Dragon House It’s been interesting in terms of expectations for the series. One of the complaints about Season 2 was that there weren’t enough battles, which is strange given that Game of Thrones’ the best seasons barely had any major action set pieces. AKotSK will not have any major battle sequences like Blackwater or the Battle of the Bastardsand there will certainly be no dragon fights like the one audiences saw at Rook’s Rest in Dragon House season 2.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will not focus on the politics of King’s Landing
AKotSK will take place away from the Red Keep
In many ways, Dragon House presented a derivative idea that offered numerous differences, but essentially provided Game of Thrones fans with many aspects of the world they were already familiar with. The central focus on a succession conflict surrounding the Iron Throne is easy to follow for viewers knowledgeable about the original show, but the prequel approached it with different houses and dynamics. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be far from the Red Keep, although major events concerning House Targaryen will take place in the background.
Given that Egg is a Targaryen prince and future king, the TV show will likely keep the public informed about some of the developments in Westerosi politics. After all, the events that occur in King’s Landing are always hanging over the people of Westeros in some way. Throughout the series, there will be conflicts between the Targaryen kings and members of the court, including significant events such as the first Blackfyre Rebellion. The difference is that they will only be happening in the background. The series may gravitate more towards these events in later seasons, but it shouldn’t be the focus for at least the first few seasons.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a smaller budget than GoT and HotD
AKotSK Is HBO’s Cheapest Game Of Thrones Show
George R.R. Martin specifically praised A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as a smaller program than previous installments, stating that the series is working with a much smaller budget than Dragon House. While this may raise some initial flags, it makes perfect sense given everything that is known about the series. The cast of actors is relatively unknown, there is a reduced episode count, and there won’t be much CGI. In total, there is less need for the vast resources required to Game of Thrones seasons or Dragon House.
With all of this in mind, viewers shouldn’t expect a drop in quality, as this is one of the key aspects of HBO and the Game of Thrones franchising has been highly regarded. THE the production team is filming in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the same studio as the original TV showand must have a similar visual aesthetic to the beginning Game of Thrones seasons. The show just won’t be as visually flashy or cinematic as the dragon-heavy Dragon House. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms it will be smaller, but that doesn’t mean it will be of lower quality.
Based on a set of earlier novels by George RR Martin, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Knight Errant is set a hundred years before Game of Thrones. The series follows a knight and a squire who travel the lands of Westeros during one of the most tumultuous times in the country’s history.
- Cast
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Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, Sam Spruell
- Seasons
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