Number of episodes and new director for Knights of the Seven Kingdoms announced

Black Mirror director Owen Harris is joining HBO's Hedge Knight series to direct half of the first season. Breaking news from Westeros: The Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has added major talent from Black Mirror as lead director of its debut season.



Owen Harris (pictured) has joined the HBO drama as executive producer and will also direct the first three episodes, establishing the director's vision for the series. Harris is best known for directing two of Black Mirror's best episodes - Be Right Back and the critically acclaimed San Junipero.

The episode count of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has now also been revealed: The first season will consist of six episodes, which is a tighter opener than the ten-episode first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The running time seems appropriate since Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's 160-page novella The Hedge Knight instead of one of his 900-page epic novels.

Speaking of which, the series is now simply called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms instead of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. This title isn't necessarily final, but it's how things stand at the moment.

In addition to Black Mirror, WME and Independent Talent Group appointee Harris also directed the debut episode of Jordan Peele's revival of The Twilight Zone (2019), Troy: Fall of a City, as well as episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Misfits. Harris made his feature film debut with Kill Your Friends, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently, Harris directed four episodes of Peacock's Mrs. Davis.

Recently, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cast actors for the two main roles. Vikings: Valhalla actor Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who recently portrayed the young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, were cast as Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, respectively.

The official description of the series: "A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes roamed Westeros... a young, naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his little squire, Egg. In a time when While the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet been erased from living memory, great destinies, mighty enemies and dangerous exploits await these unlikely and incomparable friends."

The project was written and produced by Martin and Ira Parker. It is also produced by Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris and Sarah Bradshaw.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms represents a different kind of story about Westeros than Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. These series are grand war stories with extensive ensembles set in multiple locations. Martin's Dunk and Egg stories are more intimate stories and a lighter tone.

Knight was one of several Martin projects put into development in hopes of replenishing the company's post-Game of Thrones arsenal. Other projects are still in development. The move follows the hugely successful launch of House of the Dragon, which, according to HBO, generated 29 million viewers per episode and returns for season two this summer. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is expected sometime in 2025.