Game of Thrones Prequel Will Have a Different Tone (and Some Fans Won’t Like It)

The creators of the latest Westeros show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, are already working on Season 2, according to Game of Thrones author and TV writer-producer George R.R. Martin. However, the Game of Thrones prequel will have a different tone than either Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, which may divide longtime fans. Martin is currently promoting In the Lost Lands, a film based on a Martin story, which is not part of the Game of Thrones canon (though there may be a subtle connection between the two). However, he can’t avoid questions about HBO’s ongoing Game of Thrones franchise and took the opportunity to manage expectations regarding the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms prequel.

“It’s a little softer,” Martin told Collider. “It’s a little more humorous. I hope the audience will be open to that kind of change.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is Different From Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon

The story of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place 77 years after the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons seen in House of the Dragon, and 89 years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, seen in Game of Thrones; and it is based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. The first season, which will have six episodes, is scheduled to debut in late 2025. The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas follow a hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey in the HBO series), and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell in the show), as they travel across Westeros. Egg, who is still a boy in the series, grows up to become Aegon V after his older brother, Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan), relinquishes the throne. Ser Duncan would subsequently become a luminary member of Aegon V’s Kingsguard.

The first Tales of Dunk and Egg novella, The Hedge Knight, which was published in 1998, introduced readers to Dunk and Egg as well as their new alliance. The book is brimming with knights, combat trials, and numerous Targaryens. While the series will not feature dragons, drama abounds as the second novel, The Sworn Sword, delves deeper into the Blackfyre Rebellions, a series of rebellions involving “legitimized bastards of House Targaryen.”

[Related: If Game of Thrones Changed This Moment, I Would Love the Final Season]

Book-to-Screen Challenges

Martin also addressed the challenges he faces when adapting his books for the screen, admitting mixed feelings whilst working on them. “You try to make the story as good as it can be, and some fans will like it, some fans will not like it,” Martin said. “You’re always going to get criticism, but you’ve got to keep trying. You’ve got to try to do every one the best it can possibly be.”

He felt confident, however, that while some fans might be unimpressed by an adaptation, they can rely on the books come what may. “There’s always the books, and I’m aware of that people think that— But no, I have to get back. I have to finish the books. That’s the one thing I’m completely in control of. There’s no budget limitations. There’s no other executives on the studio side that I have to please, or other writers with different views. The books are what I’m going to make them. And, I think the one I’m writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.”

Martin is currently penning his next novel The Winds of Winter, and the final installment in the series, A Dream of Spring.