HBO is looking to further expand its Game of Thrones franchise with a new prequel series.
A new report by Variety revealed that the premium cable network is working on a live-action adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of fantasy novellas called Tales of Dunk and Egg. Three Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas have been published so far, namely The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2010).
Though the three novellas were collected and published together under the title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in 2015, the Tales of Dunk and Egg is not a trilogy, as Martin has previously stated that he has intention to continue the series.
Set 90 years prior to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire ― Martin’s novel series on which HBO’s Game of Thrones is based, Tales of Dunk and Egg follow the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg).
Though no writer or talent is currently attached to the one-hour per episode series, sources told Variety that it is a high priority for HBO, as the cabler wishes to replicate the massive success of Game of Thrones, which ended its eight-season run last 2019.
Should HBO order Tales of Dunk and Egg to series, it would be the second Game of Thrones prequel to air on the network. In October 2019, HBO gave a 10-episode straight-to-series order to House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel that will explore the origins of House Targaryen and document the buildup to the Targaryen civil war in Westeros known as the Dance of Dragons. House of the Dragon is set to premiere in 2022.
While avid readers of Martin’s books have been calling for a Tales of Dunk and Egg TV series for quite some time now, there’s still a possibility that HBO may not move forward with it, just like what happened to the Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts. The project went to pilot but HBO ultimately decided to drop it.
The news that Tales of Dunk and Egg is being adapted into a TV series comes a month after HBO head of programming Casey Bloys teased that more Game of Thrones spinoffs are being developed at the network.
“Those are fantastic properties that are decades and decades old,” Bloys said of Marvel and Star Wars. “I don’t know that it (Game of Thrones) would get that big, but certainly it is a great resource that we have and an amazing world. So I don’t think it’s just going to be the one [show] for the rest of its life.”