Westeros fans will need to practice a little more patience.
HBO has officially pushed back the premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to early 2026, confirming the delay during its Upfronts presentation in New York City. This means 2025 will be the first year in recent memory without a new Game of Thrones series on the air.
Attendees at the event were treated to the first trailer for the highly anticipated series, which is now slated for a winter 2026 debut.
Although HBO never locked in a formal release date, the show had been prominently featured in 2025 promotional material released late last year. The network had seemingly hoped to alternate annual releases between A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and House of the Dragon, given the latter’s more complex and time-intensive production schedule. But with House of the Dragon season 3 still early in filming, HBO is holding back both installments.
A More Intimate Tale from Westeros
Based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Eggnovellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms offers a smaller-scale story set roughly a century before the events of Game of Thrones. The first season adapts “The Hedge Knight,” with future seasons planned to explore “The Sworn Sword” and “The Mystery Knight.”
The story follows Ser Duncan the Tall (played by Bad Sisters‘ Peter Claffey), a lowborn squire who assumes the identity of a knight after his mentor’s death. On his travels, he meets a clever bald boy named Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), who becomes his squire. Unbeknownst to Dunk, Egg is a Targaryen prince — a detail that promises royal intrigue and looming danger.
Though less grand in scale than its predecessor, the six-episode season is rich in character and historical depth, exploring themes of honor, legacy, and the ever-treacherous politics of Westeros.
Martin Is Hands-On
George R.R. Martin serves as writer, co-creator, and executive producer alongside Ira Parker (House of the Dragon). In a recent blog post, Martin shared his excitement about the series:
“It’s looking good, I think. I love it lots, but I’m not one to judge… It is such a joy to see the characters come alive so vividly. Watching them makes me want to start writing the next novella tomorrow — but, of course, I can’t. Too many other things to do.”
While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms won’t arrive until 2026, Martin’s enthusiasm — and the show’s strong creative foundation — promise a fresh chapter in the Thrones universe that should be worth the wait.
