While some of us are dying to know what's west of Westeros and whether Maisie Williams will ever reprise her fan-favorite role as Arya Stark, HBO Max is going back in time for its next Game of Thrones spin-off.
Although some might lament Game of Thrones season 8 as one of the worst TV finales of all time, diehard fans will fight for aspects like Brienne's knighting, Ramin Djawadi’s typically rousing score, and that epic Daenerys dragon shot.
Before the final credits even rolled on Game of Thrones, there was talk of expanding the Seven Kingdoms. After all, George R.R. Martin has written enough stories and built enough lore in this world to outlast the Targaryen dynasty.
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There was early success with House of the Dragon, taking place some 172 years before Thrones, while HBO Max's next show is another trip down memory lane. Although not set quite as far back at HotD, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms charts the rise of Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall and his adventures with Prince Aegon "Egg" Targaryen. You might remember Egg as the younger brother of Maester Aemon (played by Peter Vaughan in Thrones), although he was only referenced in passing in the main series.
Before A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms even aired, HBO had renewed it for season 2.
While season 2 is set to focus on The Sworn Sword novella, Martin has teased a longer run that could see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms run for even longer than Game of Thrones.
There are currently three novellas in the Tales of Dunk and Egg, culminating in 2010's The Mystery Knight.
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Speaking to The National, showrunner Ira Parker confirmed: "He [Martin] has shared with me about 10 to 12 more little outlines for books, for novellas, taking Dunk and Egg all the way through their life."
Saying that the team is currently focused on how season 1 will be received while also working on season, Parker added: "Hopefully, everybody likes it and we get to keep doing these. Certainly, I love doing it. I love writing in this world, and it’s a wonderful story. So, I hope we get to make as many of these as possible.”
If we stick with the one novella per season formula, that could see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms span an unprecedented 15 seasons. While that seems highly unlikely, Martin clearly has a love for the unlikely duo. A revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the overseer of Westeros explained what makes them different to the sprawling arcs of multiple MVPs that his other books are known for: "Writing a short story or a novella in this case, where you’re focused on one character and you’re just seeing the story through him, that’s a different sort of thing and can be very powerful."
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Martin has already confirmed The Village Hero as the fourth or fifth book in the saga of Dunk and Egg, but there's the small hurdle of The Winds of Winter to get over.
The much-anticipated sixth entry in the A Song of Ice and Fire series has been MIA for years now, and although Martin has promised he's still writing it, there are fears it might never be released.
Martin will only return to Dunk and Egg once that's out, saying the lads will get more adventures "if he has time."