‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Adds ‘Black Mirror’ Director in Major Role

James Hibberd
·3 min read
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Some breaking news from Westeros: The Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has added a major talent from Black Mirror to serve as its debut season’s lead director, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Owen Harris has boarded the HBO drama as an executive producer and will also direct the first three episodes, establishing the directorial vision for the series. Harris is best known for helming two of Black Mirror‘s finest episodes — “Be Right Back” and the widely acclaimed “San Junipero.”

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In addition, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ episode count has now been revealed: The first season will be six episodes, making for a tighter opener than the 10-episode first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The run time seems appropriate given Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 160-page novella The Hedge Knight rather than one of his 900-page epic novels.

Speaking of which, the series is now being called just A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms instead of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. This title isn’t necessarily final, but it’s where things currently stand.

In addition to Black Mirror, the WME- and Independent Talent Group-repped Harris directed the debut episode of Jordan Peele’s revival of The Twilight Zone, Troy: Fall of a City, as well as episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Misfits. Harris made his feature film debut with Kill Your Friends, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently, Harris directed four episodes of Peacock’s Mrs. Davis.

Recently, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast actors for its two lead roles: Peter Claffey (Vikings: Valhalla) and Dexter Sol Ansell (who recently portrayed Young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) were cast as Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, respectively.

The show’s official description: “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. 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.”

Owen Harris
Owen Harris

The project is written and executive produced by Martin and Ira Parker. It is also executive produced by Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris and Sarah Bradshaw.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms represents a different kind of Westeros tale than Thrones or House of the Dragon. The other shows are sweeping war epics with sprawling ensemble casts that take place in multiple locations. Martin’s “Dunk and Egg” stories are more intimate two-handers with a bit of a lighter tone.

Knight was one of several Martin projects put into development in hopes of adding to the company’s post-GoT arsenal. Others are still in active development. The move follows the hugely successful launch of Dragon, which generated 29 million viewers per episode, according to HBO, and returns this summer for season two. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is expected to air sometime in 2025.

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