George R.R. Martin Explains Why The GAME OF THRONES Spinoff Series TALES OF DUNK AND EGG Got a New Title

Last week it was announced that Max was officially moving forward with the Game of Thrones spinoff series Tales of Dunk and Egg, only that’s not the title of the show. The title that they came up with is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Some fans have wondered why the cable network and creative team decided to change the title, and it simply came down to marketing and making the show accessible to more people who aren’t familiar with Martin’s Dunk and Egg story.

George R.R. Martin recently shared an explanation of the title change on his blog saying:

The working title will be A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE KNIGHT.  Whether that will be the final title, I can’t say for sure… beyond saying that no, it won’t be called TALES OF DUNK & EGG or THE ADVENTURES OF DUNK & EGG or DUNK & EGG or anything along those lines. I love Dunk and I love Egg, and I know that fans refer to my novellas as “the Dunk & Egg stories,” sure, but there are millions of people out there who do not know the stories and the title needs to intrigue them too. If you don’t know the characters, DUNK & EGG sounds like a sitcom. LAVERNE & SHIRLEY.  ABBOTT & COSTELLO.  BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD.  So, no. We want “knight” in the title. Knighthood and chivalry are central to the themes of these stories.

I would have been fine with Dunk & Egg, but I get where everyone is coming from on the marketing aspect of the series. They want people to watch it, and while Dunk & Egg are fun and playful names, they want audiences to know that this is a show about a Knight.

The stories follow the adventures of the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, who would become a legendary member of the Kingsguard, and his squire Egg, who would become King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros. The stories are set 90 years prior to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire.

The official synopsis reads: “A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”

This is the second prequel series to be picked up by Max, after last year’s House of the Dragon. It will be written and executive produced by Martin and House of the Dragon producer Ira Parker and executive produced by Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis.