Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell have been cast in the “Game of Thrones” prequel series at HBO, the network announced Friday.
In the new drama series, titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” Claffey will lead the show as Ser Duncan the Tall, who is described as “a young, naïve but courageous knight,” while Ansell will star as his diminutive squire, Egg.
Taking place a century before the events of the flagship series, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” follows the two unlikely heroes as they wander Westeros.
The official logline is as follows: “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.”
Claffey, a former Connacht rugby player, is best known for appearing in “Bad Sisters” and “Wreck.” He will soon be featured in the upcoming drama film “Small Things Like These,” in which he stars opposite Cillian Murphy, and the third season of Netflix’s “Vikings: Valhalla.”
Ansell most recently portrayed young Coriolanus Snow in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and can be seen in ITV’s “Emmerdale,” the Sky series “The Midwich Cuckoos” and the Netflix movie “Christmas on Mistletoe Farm.” His upcoming projects include “Here,” “The Moor,” “Hullraisers” and “Robin and the Hood.”
“Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin is set to write and executive produce “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight” with Ira Parker. Additional EPs include “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris and Sarah Bradshaw.
The news comes as HBO gears up to release the second season of “House of the Dragon,” which is set 200 years prior to the events of “Game of Thrones” and centers on House Targaryen. Season 2, which premieres June 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, will see Westeros on the brink of a civil war as Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) fight for the throne.
