The smallfolk of Westeros have arrived in the Big Apple for New York Comic Con (NYCC). During Thursday’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms panel, featuring creators and stars of the new HBO Original Game of Thrones series, fans got an exclusive look at the first trailer.
After the trailer premiered, author and icon George R.R. Martin hit the Empire Stage alongside showrunner and co-creator Ira Parker, and the series’ stars Peter Claffey (Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg).
During the panel, moderated by Brandon Davis, host of Phase Hero: A Film & TV Podcast, Martin raved about how Parker brought his world to life. The show sticks closely to his Dunk and Egg novellas, following Dunk, a knight struggling with grief but determined to fight on, and Egg, a small boy who becomes Dunk’s squire.
If you’re a House of the Dragon fan, you might remember the epic jousting tourney in Episode 1, where Daemon Targaryen and Ser Criston Cole clashed, literally. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Martin said that we’ll see epic jousting events, but this time on a humbler scale, with less royal pomp and more mud. Martin told the crowd that he gave Parker the “challenge of creating the best jousting scene that has been made on film.” According to Martin, this challenge has been met.
Parker said that this series will be nothing like we’ve seen before in the Game of Thrones universe. It’s “gritty,” “earthy,” and “grounded,” a shift away from the opulence of House of the Dragon. This is Westeros from the ground up, a world after the Targaryens and House of the Dragon, yet before Game of Thrones. As Parker puts it, it’s a time “where anything can happen.”
Claffey and Ansell spoke fondly of their time on set, their friendship mirroring Dunk and Egg’s. Claffey joked that he had a panic attack after he received the news about booking the role of Dunk, realizing the weight of taking on this character. Ansell took it a little differently — he just ate some scrambled eggs.
When asked about favorite filming moments, Claffey referenced a horseback monologue he performed as Dunk, while Ansell recalled a chaotic, muddy game of tug-of-war. Both praised Parker and his world-building on set in Ireland, and how they truly felt they had time-traveled to Westeros.
What we know now from this panel at NYCC is that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will bring a fresh twist to the Game of Thrones universe, one filled with heart, humor, adventure, and unexpected friendships.
