A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release date, trailer and latest news

2026 is set to be a bumper year for fans of the Game of Thrones franchise, as viewers are transported to another era of Westeros in the latest fantasy series instalment.

Not only is the third season of fiery prequel House of the Dragon set to arrive later in the year – with star Matt Smith potentially letting slip an August release date – but the long-awaited Dunk and Egg-centric prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is also due to debut at the beginning of the year.

Following a delay from late 2025 to early 2026, HBO’s CEO revealed that the Game of Thrones spin-off will arrive in January 2026, with Sky confirming exactly when UK viewers can expect the series to swoop onto screens.

The series draws inspiration from George RR Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas, and stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as his young squire, the future Aegon V Targaryen.

Both the author and HBO executive Francesca Orsi have heaped praise on the two lead actors, with talk of a potential three-season run already brewing – but alas, we're still a way off from the initial premiere.

If you're eager for another trip to Westeros, read on for everything we know so far about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release date speculation

There’s not long now for fans to wait for A Knight of the Seven Kingdozms, as the second prequel set in the Game of Thrones franchise will be released on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 19th January 2026 in the UK.

The broadcaster has also confirmed that the first series will consist of six half-hour episodes.

While Sky hasn’t yet confirmed the exact time the series will air, if it follows the same release pattern as House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, episodes could become available to stream in the UK from midnight, shortly after the US premiere.

Following the same format, the first episode would then receive its linear broadcast on Sky Atlantic later that day, typically around 9pm–10pm UK time on 19 January 2026.

Previously, the broadcaster suggested that we'd be seeing the second Game of Thrones spin-off in late 2025, but the show was delayed for unspecified reasons.

It certainly seems like HBO and Sky have another hit on their hands, with both George RR Martin and HBO executive Francesca Orsi having gushed about the series, even hinting that a double-renewal could be on the cards.

She told Deadline in February: "You're going to be so impressed by Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell as Dunk and Egg... So much so that we're already planning on how we build this for three seasons in total.

"We're looking at it as a holistic piece, seasons 2 and 3, because there's three novellas."

Her comments follow Martin's praise (via his blog, naturally), where the author wrote that he had "loved" what he'd seen so far, adding that stars Claffey and Ansell were "just incredible" as Dunk and Egg.

Filming commenced on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms back in June 2024 and wrapped in September of that year, with the shorter six-episode season and sparing visual effects contributing to a faster turnaround than House of the Dragon.

When is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms set? Game of Thrones connection explained

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set almost a century before the events of Game of Thrones, meaning it's unlikely that we'll be seeing any cameos from stars of the original series.

This also puts it considerably further up the timeline than hit prequel House of the Dragon, which unfolds approximately seven decades before the Tales of Dunk and Egg.

Nevertheless, one piece of connective tissue comes in the form of Aemon Targaryen (played by the late Peter Vaughan in various episodes in the first five seasons), who is the brother of Aegon V or 'Egg'.

He renounced his claim to the throne in order to become a maester and brother of the Night Watch, where he crossed paths with Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Alas, he did not know that the young warrior was actually his great-great nephew.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was previously used as the title of Game of Thrones season 8 episode 2, paying tribute to Martin's trilogy of novellas, which came out many years prior to its broadcast.

What is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms about?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms chronicles the formative experiences of Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall (future lord commander of the Kingsguard) and his squire Aegon V 'Egg' Targaryen (future king).

Their adventures take place during a tumultuous period for Westeros, when the land is still recovering from a schism in House Targaryen that led to a period of brutal conflict, from which King Daeron II Targaryen emerged victorious.

Peter Claffey (Wreck) and Dexter Sol Ansell (The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) take the lead roles of Dunk and Egg in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, with Bertie Carvel (Dalgliesh) also appearing as King Daeron II's son and trusted hand, Baelor.

The story of Dunk and Egg was first told in a George RR Martin-penned novella titled The Hedge Knight, with the author calling A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms "as faithful [an] adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for".

He wrote on his blog: "Viewers who are looking for action, and more action, and only action… well, this one may not satisfy you.

"There's a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time around, no huge battles, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honour, on chivalry and all it means."

In a gushing post to his blog, Martin also previously assured fans that he "loved" the adaptation, describing it as a "faithful" translation of the source material and hailing the cast as "just incredible".

The comments should come as reassurance following Martin's vocal disapproval of House of the Dragon season 2, which also provoked the ire of fans with a finale deemed anticlimactic by many.

Previously, HBO boss Casey Bloys had teased (via THR) that the show has a "lighter tone" than both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which helps to make it a "very different" series.

Is there A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms trailer?

Yes, HBO and Sky have both released the final trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms back in early December, with the action-packed trailer teasing plenty of knightly heroics, jousting tournaments, dragons and battles - with a surprisingly lighter tone than its predecessors.

Check out the final trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms below:

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuts on Sky and NOW from 19 January 2026.

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