George R.R. Martin clears up confusion about the release window for an Game of Thrones prequel show. A dragon-laden franchise was established when HBO adapted Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series into an epic fantasy show. After eight hugely successful seasons for the flagship series, the world of GoT was ready to expand through a series of highly-anticipated spinoffs.

The first of those Game of Thrones spinoffs indeed made its way to HBO back in 2022, and after two seasons on the network and its streaming service Max, House of the Dragon has proven that viewers still crave stories set in Martin’s rich fantasy world. With HotD season 3 still many months away, the GoT hole on HBO is set to be filled by a second spinoff, which is expected to arrive in 2025.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Has A Release Window Of Late 2025, Says Martin

There Have Been Conflicting Stories About When The GoT Spinoff Will Be Released

Just when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere on HBO is a matter of some confusion after recent conflicting reports. Last December, Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette raised hopes of a sooner-than-later arrival when he teased that the show would be coming in the summer of 2025. But that tease was quickly contradicted by Variety, who reported that the show would not come out until late in 2025.

The synopsis for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 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, 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 ed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends."

GoT author Martin has now stepped in to clear things up as regards A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1’s release window, posting on his blog that he’s been told it will not come out until fall 2025 at the earliest:

The series will make its debut late this year, I am now told. How late, I could not say. Maybe in the fall.

Our Take On A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Updated Release Window

HBO Will Be Westeros-Free For Much Of 2025

Game of Thrones is HBO’s biggest franchise by far, and the network has understandably been very protective of the money-making IP, setting a high quality bar for any spinoffs. There is in fact an entire episode of a would-be spinoff, Bloodmoon, that has never been seen, as HBO elected to scrap the project despite reportedly having poured over $30 million into the pilot. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, an adaptation of Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg stories, was itself initially rejected, until finally being tapped as the third GoT show.

While there’s disappointment in having to wait until the year’s end for new adventures in the world of Westeros, it’s encouraging to know that HBO has such high standards for TV’s biggest-ever fantasy franchise that they’re willing to undertake an extended creative process, allowing producers the time necessary to make a series worthy not only of the original Game of Thrones show, but Martin’s source material as well.

If HBO only wanted to churn out low-quality spinoffs, it could easily keep that content factory rolling non-stop, and deluge fans with endless, B-grade stories. But ultimately, the franchise and its devotees are better served by the network taking its time to craft quality Game of Thrones successors. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 hopefully will at least reach the standard set by House of the Dragon, and also be embraced by fans.

Source: Not A Blog