WBD has confirmed that HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms marks the second Game of Thrones prequel series centered around a different generation of House Targaryen. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the show focuses on the exploits of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, nearly 100 years before Game of Thrones’ events.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was officially ordered by HBO in April 2023, with the announcement riding on the heels of House of the Dragon season 1’s success. The series is one of two confirmed Game of Thrones spinoffs at HBO alongside Aegon’s Conquest, a prequel focusing on King Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys’ conquest of Westeros. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ timeline, however, helps bridge the gap between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones by focusing on a young King Aegon V Targaryen, increasing the excitement for its arrival.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Was Expected In 2025 - But Is Now Coming In 2026

The New Release Window Is Winter 2026

Sadly, the wait for the next Game of Thrones prequel will be longer than anticipated. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was originally expected to hit HBO in late 2025, seemingly arriving midway between A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms won’t arrive until 2026.

According to Variety, the new premiere window was confirmed in a footage trailer shown at WBD’s upfront presentation, which concluded with a title card indicating “2026” as the release year. HBO’s content chairman and CEO, Casey Bloys, then further clarified that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere in winter 2026, suggesting the show could arrive as early as January and as late as March.

No explanation was given for the delay from wouldn’t return until Daenerys’ eggs hatched in Game of Thrones. As such, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms shouldn’t be as CGI-heavy as the two previous Game of Thrones series, making the potential causes of its delay more difficult to pin down.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Wrapped Filming In 2024

The Series Concluded Filming Approximately 8 Months Ago

Furthermore, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms concluded filming in September 2024, so it’s unclear why the post-production period has become so extensive. Since a trailer was shown to a group of insiders in late 2024 and author George R.R. Martin has already seen rough cuts of the episodes, it’s hard to explain why the series needs at least another seven months before it’s ready to go. With January 2026 being the early estimate for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ arrival, that makes the delay between the end of filming and the show’s premiere at least 16 months.

Without dragons in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s unlikely that CGI in post-production is a driving reason for the delay. Though unconfirmed, the most likely explanation would be that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has to undergo reshoots and thus requires more time in post-production. Alternatively, HBO may have decided that a winter 2026 debut is a stronger release window for the series than fall 2025, which would be an unprecedented change after all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and the first two seasons of House of the Dragon debuted between early spring and late summer.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Could Now Conflict With House Of The Dragon

Will HOTD Season 3's Release Be Pushed Back Further Than Expected?

Back when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was reportedly eyeing a late 2025 release, it was also expected that House of the Dragon season 3 would arrive as early as summer 2026. The prequel show has been in production since March 2025, and filming is expected to continue through the fall. However, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuting in winter 2026, the expected release window for the dragon and battle-heavy House of the Dragon season 3 might also be pushed back.

House of the Dragon season 2 concluded on August 4, 2024.

It’s unlikely that HBO would premiere House of the Dragon season 3 just a few months after the end of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, as it would be wiser to spread out entries in the hit franchise. Consequently, House of the Dragon season 3’s release could end up being set for fall 2026 or even early 2027 to avoid conflicts with the new prequel series. If so, it’ll mark the longest gap between seasons yet for the franchise, which was previously 20 months between House of the Dragon’s first two seasons and Game of Thrones’ final two outings.

Source: Variety