George R.R. Martin has given an update on HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight and his ongoing work on The Winds of Winter.
In a recent Not a Blog post, Martin announced that auditions for the series are nearly complete, with key roles such as Tanselle, Steely Pate, Baelor Breakspear, the Laughing Storm, and others being cast. Preparations at Ashford Meadow are progressing, and the first table read has already taken place.
George R.R. Martin Updates Fans On The Hedge Knight Series And The Winds of Winter Progress
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, possibly shortened to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is a Game of Thrones prequel based on Martin's 1998 novella The Hedge Knight from the Tales of Dunk and Egg series. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell are cast as Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, respectively. The series follows these two unlikely heroes in a time when the Targaryens still hold the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon lingers.Martin noted that The Hedge Knight will be shorter and have a different tone than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, but will still be set in the dangerous world of Westeros. If the series is successful, adaptations of The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight may follow, by which time Martin hopes to have written more Dunk & Egg stories, assuming he finishes The Winds of Winter first.
Fans awaiting The Winds of Winter will be interested to know that Martin has written about 1,100 pages, the same amount as last year, despite initially estimating in 2011 that it would take three years to complete. He expressed his ongoing struggle with the massive novel, acknowledging the slow pace but reaffirming his commitment to finishing it.