George R.R. Martin hasn’t held back on how he feels about the Game of Thrones franchise’s current HBO offshoots. For one thing, he has expressed frustration on how House of the Dragon has omitted elemental aspects of key scenes. That has contributed to existing tensions ahead of the third season, although to be fair, Martin has shouldered plenty of criticism against himself, too, including how Game of Thrones‘ eighth season might not have gone off the rails so hard if he had, say, finished writing Winds of Winter.

He still hears those grievances on a regular basis, but guess what? Martin is feeling fantastic about the next Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This more grounded story will feature no dragons or white walkers, and Martin has called himself “so so happy” upon observing filming for the series that is “[n]inety per cent … set in a field, surrounded by tents.” This spin off picks up after HotD‘s events and around 90-100 years before GoT, but what’s also important is when viewers can plan on watching the series.

Does A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Have A Release Date?

Not yet. In fact, this series was expected to arrive in 2025, but HBO recently announced that the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, has been pushed back to a 2026 release. However, Variety reports that “HBO content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys narrowed that down further … by saying the show was coming in the ‘winter’ … indicating an early 2026 release.”

Showrunner Ira Park hasn’t issued a further statement, so it’s best to hang tight for further word. In the meantime, here’s the series 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.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could run for three seasons if all goes well. That would take the series further into the release schedule than the planned four seasons for House of the Dragon, which is also scheduled (for now) for a 2026 return. Also, the super-prequel about Aegon’s Conquest is also in the works to take the Targaryens back to where they began. So many blondes.