Almost two years after Game of Thrones ended its run, HBO continues to try to build the property into a major franchise with news of a second prequel series in the works. This new series will reportedly be an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg.
Variety broke the news of this latest series that will hope to continue the massive popularity of Game of Thrones. The series is obviously in its early stages of development as no talent has been linked to the project as of yet and both HBO and Martin himself declined to comment on the news being broken.
To date, Tales of Dunk and Egg consists of three novella's that follow the adventures of the heroic knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his trusty squire young Aegon V Targaryen aka Egg, the future king of Westeros. The book series takes place 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The three novellas released thus far are titled The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight.
Though there is no indication of when production will begin, it will obviously follow the production of the other Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. That series is already looking at a 2022 release on HBO and production is underway with newly announced cast members Olivia Cooke and Matt Smith. That series will explore the reign of the Targaryens and the family's civil war that tore Westeros apart. A third series was also in development written by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts, but it was scrapped following the filming of its pilot.
Following the end of Game of Thrones, there were reports that HBO was considering a number of series that would continue the franchise into the future. Fans of Martin's writing had been hoping one of the series in question would indeed by Tales of Dunk and Egg. If the novellas are any indication, the series could be a smaller-scale look at the world of Westeros as the stories followed the two main characters on smaller adventures that provided a look at Westeros' history.
Given the divisive response to the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO might be overestimating how eager fans will be to return to this world. However, there is still so much potential with this franchise, and Tales of Dunk and Egg could provide a fun new direction for them to take.
All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are currently available on HBO Max.
Source: Variety