HBO just finally unveiled the next Game of Thrones – it looks way more fun

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Regardless of what you think about the ending of Game of Thrones, which arguably went out with a bit of a whimper instead of the bang its cultural weight deserved, there’s no denying just how huge the show was at its peak – so it’s really no wonder that HBO has continued to milk the franchise with new spin-offs.

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Now, with a couple of excellent seasons of House of the Dragon in the bag already, it’s just shown off its next series from George R.R. Martin’s Westeros – this time based on the separate novels about Sir Duncan and Egg. The Hedge Knight novels, as they’re known, have a slightly more whimsical tone than the mainline stuff of A Song of Ice and Fire, and you can see that reflected in the long-awaited first trailer, below.

The show will have a much tighter focus than the more sprawling political epics that have become expected from Martin’s work – acting as more of a travelogue and personal tale of how this tall wandering knight and his offbeat, very bald squire (who may or may not have Aegon as his full name).

What certainly is consistent with the other Game of Thrones shows is that it looks pretty lavish and beautiful, full of filming on location and with a really nice sense of place. Given that HBO will now have this show to juggle with House of the Dragon, it might mean that we’re guaranteed a show in the universe each year, instead of having to endure big gaps between seasons.

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What’s less clear to me is how long the series might run – something that’s always dependent to a degree on how much audiences flock to it. Given HBO’s track record, you’d assume this will be something of a hit, although Disney can attest to the fact that people can get franchise fatigue if you do too much too fast.

I wouldn’t say HBO is at too great a risk of that with Game of Thrones, but it’s still worth bearing in mind. Either way, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will start on 18 January in the US on HBO and HBO Max – expect to be able to catch it the next day on Sky Atlantic and Now here in the UK.