George RR Martin explains why GAME OF THRONES spin-off series TALES OF DUNK AND EGG has a new title

Last week it was announced that Max was officially moving forward with the game of Thrones spin-off series The Tales of Dunk and Egg, only that’s not the title of the show. The title 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 was simply marketing and making the show accessible to more people who aren’t familiar with the story of Martin’s Dunk and Egg.

George RR 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… other than saying no, it won’t be called TALES OF DUNK & EGG or THE ADVENTURES OF DUNK & EGG or DUNK & EGG or something like that. I love Dunk and I love Egg, and I know fans refer to my novellas as “the Dunk & Egg stories,” sure, but there are millions of people out there who don’t know the stories, and the title must intrigue them too. If you don’t know the characters, DUNK & EGG looks like a sitcom. LAVERNE & SHIRLEY. ABBOTT & COSTELLO. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD. Then 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 understand 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 knight-errant 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 before 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 roamed Westeros…a young, naive but brave knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age where the Targaryen bloodline still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, mighty enemies and perilous deeds await all these unlikely and incomparable friends.

This is the second prequel series collected by Max, after last year’s House of the Dragon. It will be written and executive produced by Martin and the producer of House of the Dragon Ira Parker and executive product from Ryan Condal AND Vince Gerardi.