Author George R.R. Martin has once again broken some news about the TV adaptations of his book series A Song of Ice and Fire. HBO has previously announced that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will premiere sometime in 2025, but Martin narrowed that timing down even more in his latest blog post, estimating “early 2025.” The author also had a lot to say about that series, even as House of the Dragon Season 2 dominates the headlines.
Martin was elated to see his character Ser Duncan the Tall – a.k.a. “Dunk” brought to life by actor Peter Claffey and the team that has begun filming The Hedge Knight. He wrote: “Hot damn, he looks as though he just stepped out of the pages of LEGENDS. Filming started last week in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where much of the original GAME OF THRONES as shot. Based on my novella The Hedge Knight, the new show will debut early next year, in 2025.”
Interestingly, at the time of this writing, Martin has edited his blog post so that it says “the new show will debut in 2025,” removing the word “early.” However, screenshots like this one posted all over social media leave a paper trail for the change. Still, with House of the Dragon moving from an August start to a June one, we can at least hope to get The Hedge Knight sooner rather than later as well.
Martin also wrote about his plans to visit the set of The Hedge Knight. He wrote: “I hear that everything is going very well just now. Next month I will get to see for myself. Parris and I will be taking a few of our minions over to Belfast in mid July, to visit the set, meet the cast, and take in some jousting.”
The press is well timed, as The Hedge Knight is definitely benefiting from the excitement for House of the Dragon. The latter is based on Martin’s most recent book, Fire & Blood, which is a history book, not a novel. In many ways, The Hedge Knight holds a more special place in the hearts of the fandom and has a more rich source material to draw on. At the same time, its story is simpler and more grounded.
House of the Dragon Season 2 has six more weeks to go, airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. It has already been renewed for a third season. The Hedge Knight is filming now and is expected to premiere in 2025.