Steven Prusakowski
When returning to Westeros for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, showrunner Ira Parker already had plenty of experience in George R.R. Martin’s world. Parker previously worked on House of the Dragon, serving as a producer and as a first season writer. He spoke with Awards Radar about what he wanted to bring to the series.
But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a very different kind of story from either Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. Based on Martin’s beloved Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the series follows the adventures of hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk (played by Peter Claffey), and his young squire Egg (played with tremendous charm and sophistication by Dexter Sol Ansell.)
Adapted from the first novella, The Hedge Knight, the series is smaller in scale and scope than its predecessors. The first season consists of six episodes running roughly 40 minutes each, focusing on a more intimate essentially two-character story, with less focus on political intrigue, and much smaller threats. While some have described it as “Game of Thrones light,” Parker embraces the comparison while explaining what makes the series unique.
“I had always joked with people that we were basically just Game of Thrones without all the stuff. And because we didn’t have the dragons. We didn’t have the dead coming to kill mankind. We didn’t have the politics, the roving wars and factions of families who hated each other. You know, we had Dunk. We have a single POV. We have a kid basically with a goofy dream,” shared Parker. “I was hoping one of the big pieces that they liked was these characters that just had miles and miles of heart. And this is what I loved about Game of Thrones. And I also always loved when they leaned into the comedy a little bit more. What we found was just a really genuine, earnest, lovely human being that is hard not to root for. And that became our access point. That became the way in and that became our guiding light for the whole series.”
Parker acknowledged that the label is not entirely inaccurate, but argued that it undersells what makes the show compelling.
“It is tricky because Game of Thrones light is not a terrible descriptor for us,” admitted Parker. It is these intentionally smaller, more grounded, more earthy stories set at a period of Westeros where there’s just no magic and we’re somewhat at peace time. So we get to be more about the human side of things, the relatable side to us sitting at home watching this journey just in this fantastic world that has all this history. It’s these castle walls have seen dragons. You want to give enough to the old faithful, the people who loved Game of Thrones. You want them to be able to recognize what they loved about it early on and stick with it. But then you also wanted to tell a story that was engaging enough for the new people who had never set eyes on Game of Thrones.”
Rather than relying on audiences’ existing connection to Westeros, Parker said the creative team focused on making the story work on its own terms.
“Again, we just kept pulling it back to are we telling an interesting story regardless of what world we’re set in? Dunk is a really easy person to get to know quickly and we just wanted to take him on some adventures and see where that path followed. Just follow Dunk. Just how is he feeling? What is he thinking right now? Getting in as much as we could to that experience and letting people enjoy.”
That philosophy was used to develop nearly every creative decision on the series, using Dunk’s perspective as the audience’s entry point into the world.
“That became our access point. That became the way in and that became our guiding light for the whole series. And I think how the show ultimately became so accessible was just follow Dunk. We just kept pulling it back to are we telling an interesting story uh regardless of what world we’re set in? Uh you know, what came before. And the one nice part about living in Westeros is the expectations that everybody has. It’s like coming into a TV show in its third season. You can just get right in.”
When it came to providing Dunk with the perfect travel companion, one that viewers would quickly connect with, it was important to find a child actor with the skills and the charm to handle the monumental task. It turned out to be an easy task… or a very lucky one.
“In terms of casting, Egg, we knew Dexter. We knew right away. He was the very first person that they sent to me on the list, the entire process,” shared Parker. “Email number one from casting – 10 Eggs reading some scenes from the pilot, and Dexter Sol Ansell was at the very top of that list. I watched that one and I thought, ‘Oh, yeah. Okay, perfect. He nailed it. That’s great.’ So we have our Egg, and now we just have to cast the other 120 roles.”
Parker’s approach emphasizes humor, heart, and character over spectacle – though there is a lot of spectacle include a seven on seven battle and some of the most intense jousting scenes you will ever see filmed.
“No, look, it’s all real horses. Everything was built. We built Ashford essentially in a farmer’s field. We needed a muddy field and that was about it. A lot of incredible stunt work and a lot of incredible horse work went into this,” revealed Parker. “We have the very best people in the game, Tom Cox and his team from Devil’s Horsemen, and also Rob Bench and Florian Robin as our second-unit director and stunt coordinators. These guys choreographed this to an inch of its life. We saw previses, they had been practicing for months. When Peter’s helmet comes off, he’s really going at it. And obviously, everybody knows he’s quite a big guy. And when he hits you with one of those swords, it is felt. It is heard for miles around.”
While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may be smaller than previous journeys through Westeros, its focus on an earnest hero, relatable stakes, and human storytelling could make it one of the franchise’s most accessible entries yet, while still offering longtime fans plenty of action, violence, and bedlam, to recognize and enjoy. It is easily one of the most exciting and refreshing series of the year, and a Game of Thrones journey you will want to take with a friend.
You can watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdom season one on HBO Max and my full interview with Ira Parker below.
Comments
Loading…