George R.R. Martin Praises ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

George RR Martin recently shared his excitement about the upcoming HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The show, which has already wrapped its first season and moved into post-production, is based on Martin’s novella, “The Hedge Knight“.
He revealed that he’s seen all six episodes, even though the last two were rough cuts, and he couldn’t be happier with how it turned out: ” I’ve seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them.“
The show focuses on Dunk and Egg, two of Martin’s favorite characters, brought to life by actors he described as ‘incredible.’ He praised the rest of the cast as well, saying, “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. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm. and Tanselle Too-Tall.”
Fans of the novellas will be pleased to know the adaptation stays true to the story.
Martin noted that this series isn’t about dragons or massive battles. Instead, it’s a character-driven story exploring duty, honor, and the values of chivalry, saying that “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 honor, on chivalry and all it means.”
While there’s an exciting fight scene, viewers hoping for constant action or fantasy elements like white walkers may need to adjust their expectations.
First published in Legends, an anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, The Hedge Knight gained huge popularity and helped attract new readers to Martin’s larger Westeros series. Martin credited Silverberg, Anne Groell, and the story’s unforgettable characters for boosting his audience back then.
The show is set to premiere later this year, though an exact release date hasn’t been announced: “The series will make its debut late this year, I am now told. How late, I could not say. Maybe in the fall.” HBO has also released new teaser trailers to give viewers a taste of what’s coming.
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