There's massive news coming out of Westeros as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has officially found its Dunk and Egg.
The upcoming Game of Thrones prequel based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas has cast its two leads, per EW. Taking on the role of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) will be Peter Claffey. As for Egg, he'll be played by Dexter Sol Ansell.
According to HBO’s logline for the series, The Hedge Knight will follow “two unlikely heroes” who are wandering Westeros. Claffey’s Dunk is “a young, naïve but courageous knight.” Meanwhile, Ansell’s Egg is “his diminutive squire.” The series takes place during the Targaryen’s reign, and dragons are still remembered. It sounds like this show will be a fun adventure that follows two “improbable and incomparable friends,” (a la Arya and The Hound) and these two actors seem like great fits for them.
It was announced in 2021 that Dunk and Eggs’ story would be at the center of a Game of Thrones project. Then, in November of the same year, Patriot and Ultra City Smiths’ Steve Conrad was brought on as a writer. As of right now, The Hedge Knight is the only other greenlit GOT series outside of House of the Dragon, so the fact that it has its stars makes the future of Westeros even brighter.
Before landing these roles, both Claffey and Ansell were relatively unknown.
Peter Claffey starred in the 2022 series Wreck as well as one episode of Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters. He’s also set to work alongside Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These, and he’ll be in season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla.
Meanwhile, 9-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell played the young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and he had roles in films like The Midwich Cuckoos and Christmas on Mistletoe Farm. Along with The Hedge Knight, he’s also going to be in The Moor and Robin and The Hood.
Like these two, many in the House of the Dragon cast and Game of Thrones ensemble were unknowns before landing their roles in the fantasy series. Take HOTD’s Emma D’Arcy, and Paddy Considine, along with GOT’s Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington for example, these shows turned them into household names. The same will likely be said about Claffey and Ansell when The Hedge Knight premieres. It’s always amazing to learn about new talent through shows like these, and I’m sure the Dunk and Egg actors will shine just as brightly as the GOT alums who came before them.
This comes not long after House of the Dragon’s Season 2 premiere was announced on the 2024 TV schedule, and it marks a massive step forward for the latest Game of Thrones spinoff. As we learn more about The Hedge Knight and the guys playing Dunk and Egg we'll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, you can stream both GOT and HOTD with a Max subscription.
