HBO has revealed the casting for the two lead roles in the upcoming Game Of Thrones spinoff, ‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’ based on the prequel novellas by George R.R. Martin, of which there are three.
Peter Claffey will play Ser Duncan the Tall—aka Dunk—and Dexter Sol Ansell will play Egg. The pair of misfits, Dunk and Egg, are the main characters in Martin’s stories, which are set a century before the events of Game Of Thrones, and about 70 years after the start of House of the Dragon, though obviously that show’s timeline is much longer.
The official description of the show reads:
A century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Claffey), and his diminutive squire, Egg (Ansell). 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.
I have a good feeling that the series will be very faithful to the novellas given Martin is one of the writers and showrunners, though his involvement means more waiting for Winds Of Winter.
I really like these casting choices, though partly that’s because I don’t recognize either actor. I recently wrote about Dune Part 2 and discussed why I was irritated by the casting in those films. Too many characters were played by big celebrities. Imagine if Game Of Thrones had cast only big name actors for every role. We never would have gotten to know the fantastic actors, many of whom were newcomers, that are now so beloved for their roles. I like it when we have fresh faces we don’t already associate with a bunch of other movies or TV shows. And both these actors look perfect for their respective parts, though you’ll have to imagine Ansell with a shaved head.
Claffey is a former rugby player and has credits in shows like Bad Sisters and Wrecked. He’s also 195 cms in height (about 6’4”) which is perfect for a knight named Ser Duncan the Tall.
Ansell began acting when he was four in the ITV series Emmerdale. He had a small part as the young Corialanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes.
George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker and writing and producing the new spinoff, which is the second Thrones spinoff since House of the Dragon, but definitely won’t be the last. A series about Aegon’s conquest is also in the works, with various other projects waiting in the wings. The Dunk & Egg novellas are in some ways my favorite of the Westerosi books. They’re much more focused on the knight errant stuff with jousting and tourneys and quests and less of the politicking (though it’s there) and world-ending stuff. I’m absolutely thrilled it’s being made into a series and I can’t wait to watch it someday.
House of the Dragon returns for a second season on June 16th.
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