The trailer for the next spin-off in HBO’s Game of Thrones series has been released, titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on George R.R. Martin’s novellas featuring the adventures of Dunk and Egg. In the books, Duncan is described as being nearly seven feet tall.
Peter Claffey, who plays him in the spin-off, stands at 6 feet 5¼ inches per IMDb. While still a bit short of Duncan’s stature from the novels, he does a brilliant job of embodying the character in the trailer. Moreover, with a bit of help from meticulously crafted camera angles, there’s nothing to be worried about.
Who Is Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Duncan the Tall, who goes by the name of Dunk, travelled the Seven Kingdoms as a hedge knight with his squire, Prince Aegon, aka Egg (played by Dexter Sol Ansell). His story takes place 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, where dragons have gone extinct, leaving the Targaryens’ influence over Westeros greatly weakened.
Notable for his moral compass, humble beginnings, and towering height, Dunk eventually makes his way up to become the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. The logline for the upcoming HBO adaptation reads (via Deadline):
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 last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
As for how it’ll compare to other HBO adaptations of George R.R. Martin’s works, showrunner Ira Parker shared that it’s more gritty and intimate than Game of Thrones.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Will Break Away from One Franchise Tradition
In addition to being as grand as GOT, which is reasonable given the story centres around Dunk, who is plain and simple, the opening credits will also reflect this element of the character.
Instead of continuing the franchise’s trend of intricate, sprawling animations for the opening, which are accompanied by a grand score, the showrunners opted for a simple title card with medieval typography for the upcoming show (via EW). This further weighs on the fact that it doesn’t exhibit the grandeur fans have come to expect from HBO production based on Martin’s works.
All decisions came down to Dunk, trying to channel the type of person he is into every aspect of this show, even the title sequence. The title sequences on the original [Game of Thrones] and House of Dragon are big and epic and incredible. Ramin Djawadi’s score is orchestral and large and beautiful. That’s not really Dunk’s M.O. He’s plain and he’s simple and he’s to-the-point. He doesn’t have a lot of flash to him
Having earned the author’s seal of approval and a season 2 already in the works, things are looking promising for the six-episode series, which is set to commence next year.
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere on HBO Max on January 18, 2026 (USA).
