George R.R. Martin Raves About A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Early Cuts (‘I Love Them’), Praises ‘Faithful’ Adaptation

Attention, citizens of Westeros: George R.R. Martin is already lavishing praise on HBO’s new Game of Thrones spinoff.

The Thrones book author took to his personal blog on Tuesday to offer a tantalizing look ahead at A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new spinoff coming to HBO later this year. Martin has seen all six episodes, he reports, including rough cuts of the final two, and “I love them.” He adds that “Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible. The rest of the cast are terrific as well.”

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Martin also notes that Seven Kingdoms is “as faithful as adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on that particular subject).” (He’s alluding to the issues he had with some of the creative choices made on HBO’s other Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon.) He concedes that “there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers,” but “this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry and all it means… I hope you will love the show as much as I do.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, is set a century before Game of Thrones and centers on fledgling knight Duncan (aka “Dunk”), played by Bad Sisters‘ Peter Claffey; and his young squire Egg, played by Dexter Sol Ansell (ITV’s Emmerdale). The cast also includes Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Sam Spruell (Fargo), Bertie Carvel (The Crown), Daniel Ings (Sex Education) and Tanzyn Crawford (Tiny Beautiful Things).

Seven Kingdoms is “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” and “great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends,” per the official synopsis. Martin serves as co-creator and executive producer.

Are you excited to see more of Westeros come to life on HBO? Hit the comments to share your hopes and expectations for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

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