Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol to headline Game of Thrones prequel The Hedge Knight

HBO has officially announced the lead actors for its Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

Ordered to series in April 2023, the prequel is based on George R.R. Martin‘s Dunk & Egg fantasy novellas and takes place roughly 100 years before Game of Thrones. It tells the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Aegon V Targaryen, also known as Dunk and Egg.

Peter Claffey (Vikings: Valhalla) and Dexter Sol Ansell (who recently portrayed Young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) have been cast.

"A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros: a young, naïve, but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg," the official synopsis said. "Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends."

Martin and Ira Parker are writers and executive producers on the show. Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw also executive produce.

The prequel series debut will follow the Season 2 premiere of GoT spinoff House of the Dragon in summer 2024. HBO is also developing an Aegon’s Conquest prequel series from The Batman: Part II writer Mattson Tomlin.

The Hedge Knight is expected to air sometime in 2025.