Next Game Of Thrones Spinoff Update Eases Concerns About Repeating A $2.9Bn Franchise Mistake

An update on the next Game of Thrones spinoff show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (formerly and maybe still currently subtitled The Hedge Knight, as that remains unconfirmed), eases concerns about it repeating mistakes made by a different fantasy franchise. House of the Dragon is the only spinoff show to make it to air since Game of Thrones' ending back in 2019, with two seasons under its belt so far (and two more confirmed), but that will change in 2025.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' story will take audiences to a different part of Westeros, set around 90 years before Game of Thrones timeline (and roughly 80 years after House of the Dragon). Based on George R.R. Martin's The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, it follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, on adventures in Westeros. It promises to be quite a different show to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and that's a good thing.

The Tales Of Dunk & Egg Stories Are A Song Of Ice & Fire's Version Of The Hobbit

The Prequels Have A Very Different Tone

A Song of Ice and Fire's similarities to Lord of the Rings are clear, as are its differences: Martin was hugely influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien when crafting his own epic fantasy saga, but also wanted to avoid falling into the traps that many other post-LOTR novels had, such as simply being too derivative of Tolkien's work. And so, if ASOIAF is his version of Lord of the Rings, similar in scope but subverting typical fantasy tropes and expectations, then The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas are his The Hobbit.

The Tales of Dunk and Egg are, like The Hobbit, much shorter, breezier reads than the vast tomes they are related to.

Like The Hobbit, they takes place several decades before the "main" story, and have plenty of elements that readers will recognise while still having unique characters and locations. But most of all, The Tales of Dunk and Egg are, like The Hobbit, much shorter, breezier reads than the vast tomes they are related to. The books have more humor, the struggles are a lot more personal in scale than a war to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and the tone, while still having its own darkness and brutality, is a hell of a lot lighter.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Plan Made Me Worried About Repeating The Hobbit Movies' Problems

Is HBO Going To Turn This Story Into Something Too Epic?

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I love The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas and am delighted to see they're being adapted to the screen, because they're highly entertaining stories filled with great characters, fun adventures, and lots of fascinating bits of worldbuilding and lore (such as how it draws on the Blackfyre Rebellion, which happened around 13 years before the first book). But I was concerned, too, because reading the stories doesn't exactly suggest a long-running, multi-episode TV show like Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.

Related Every Targaryen In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Explained The Targaryen dynasty was in full swing by the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the upcoming Game of Throne spin-off will have plenty.

It was somewhat of a relief to hear A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 would only have six episodes, but even that didn't assuage my concerns about things being stretched too thin. There are only three books, and they're all very short. The Hedge Knight has 160 pages; the audiobook is just under three hours long(!), and yet that could become six hours with HBO's plan for the show.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms doesn't yet have an exact release date, but HBO and Max have confirmed it will release in 2025, and filming has already concluded.

I've seen, quite disastrously, how that can backfire with The Hobbit itself. Rather than one fun fantasy prequel movie to Lord of the Rings, they were turned into three movies totalling almost eight hours in runtime for the non-extended editions. They made a lot of money, sure (almost $3 billion at the box office for three movies would suggest the plan worked), but in terms of quality they were a bloated mess. Almost all the charm, wit, and lightness of the book was lost, in favor of trying to recreate the grand epic scope and scale of Lord of the Rings.

HBO has had huge success with Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon which, for all their differences, are both huge shows that deliver a massive spectacle.

Of course, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a TV show, and the situations aren't the exact same, but with three novellas that total around 10 hours in audiobook length being turned into three seasons that could be triple that, it's enough to have made me uneasy. Similarly, HBO has had huge success with Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon which, for all their differences, are both huge shows that deliver a massive spectacle. Wouldn't they want to continue that with the next spinoff?

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' Budget Avoids The Hobbit's Problem

GRRM Is Also Happy With What He's Seen Of The Game Of Thrones Spinoff

Thankfully, one part of my concern has been eased, and by none other than the books' author himself. Martin discussed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' budget in a blog post, saying that it is "much smaller" (the emphasis is his). That's great to hear, because while they're still committed to the show looking great, it means they aren't trying to just make it like Game of Thrones. Contrast to The Hobbit trilogy, which had a budget of more than double the Lord of the Rings movies, and it's definitely a positive sign.

Upcoming Game of Thrones Spinoffs Title Description Status A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms An adaptation of George R.R. Martin's The Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas Season 1 releasing in 2025 on HBO and Max House of the Dragon Ongoing Game of Thrones prequel, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons Season 3 expected in 2026; season 4 will be the last Aegon's Conquest The story of King Aegon I Targaryen and the conquest of Westeros with his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya In-development 10,000 Ships A spinoff about Princess Nymeria, who led her people the Rhoynar to Dorne after a war with the Valyrian Freehold In-development Nine Voyages An animated show about Corlys Velaryon's Great Voyages, where he sailed around the Known World In-development The Golden Empire (unofficial) An animated show set in empire of Yi Ti, which is in the far East of Essos In-development TBC Another live-action Game of Thrones spinoff In-development TBC Another animated Game of Thrones spinoff In-development

I'm still not 100% sure about just how the story expansion will work, and what they'll add or deepen in order to allow for what I assume will be six hour-long episodes. But the fact they are aiming to keep the tone and spirit of the book is a fantastic step, and should ensure we do get a true adaptation. Further, Martin himself has a lot of praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so far -saying he "loved" the rough cut of the first episode he was shown. And if it's good enough for him, then it should hopefully be good enough for everyone else too.