George R.R. Martin Challenged Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to Up Its Jousting Game

Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is making no secret of the fact that it’s going to be something very different from its predecessor. Boasting shorter episodes and a much more limited narrative scope, the story takes place during a time when the dragons are dead and the small folk are still reeling from the fallout of the first Blackfyre Rebellion. There are no feuding Starks and Lannisters, and none of the epic battle sequences that the original series and its subsequent spinoff, House of the Dragon, were famous for. 

Instead, we’ll get the chance to see something that’s only ever really been treated as an afterthought in the main series: A tournament. Sure, the Great Tourney of Harrenhal is the stuff of legend in the original series, and important events took place at both the Hand’s Tournament and the one held in honor of King Joffrey’s name day when Ser Dontos shows up drunk. But none of these events has really been the primary focus of the story. Well, that’s all about to change. 

Based on the first installment in George R.R. Martin’s trio of “Dunk and Egg” novellas, the series’ first season will adapt The Hedge Knight, which follows the story of a naive young champion and his squire, who spend most of their time on the hunt for valor and coin. It also happens to take place almost entirely at a tournament and comes complete with plenty of drama and competition. Yes, instead of dragon battles, we’re going to get jousting, and if Martin has anything to say about it, it’s going to be the best darn jousting anyone has ever seen. At least, that’s what he apparently told A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner, Ira Parker.

“I set [the production team] a challenge, which I think Ira and his people have delivered. I said, ‘Let’s do the best jousting sequences that have been ever put on film,’” Martin told audiences earlier this month at New York Comic Con. “A modest little challenge for Ira and his crew.”

This request (demand?) probably shouldn’t be that surprising, given that Martin has had plenty to say about the recent adaptations of his work onscreen. (Spoiler alert: He was unhappy with some of the changes made to House of the Dragon, but seems to be really psyched about Seven Kingdoms. Possibly because he just really, really loves his Dunk and Egg stories. Or appreciates a reason to talk about anything that isn’t The Winds of Winter.) 

“I’ve always loved medieval tournaments in other pictures, and of course, we had several tournaments in Game of Thrones,” Martin said. “But they were in the background, they were not the center. But I said… ‘I want to do something that’s entirely set during a tournament,’ because I found tournaments were very exciting.”

And, apparently, Martin feels pretty confident about where the final product ended up. 

“I think my favorite previous was 1952’s Ivanhoe,” he said. “They don’t have much jousting sequences, but what they have are really good. So that’s the standard. You guys will judge how we did. But I think we did really well.”

Not only does the story feature multiple (presumably fairly elaborate) jousts, but it also depicts something known as the “Trial of Seven,” an event in which two groups of knights must face one another, trial by combat-style, to determine the guilt or innocence of a party accused of a crime. It should make for excellent television, and it’s also an event that has a rather outsize impact on Westeros’ history. So, you know, a good time will surely be had by all.