How 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' brings a new perspective to 'Game of Thrones'

NEW YORK – Welcome back to Westeros.

Author George R.R. Martin stopped by New York Comic Con on Oct. 9 alongside the stars and producer of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" to tease the latest "Game of Thrones" series (coming to HBO this January).

The prequel, which follows the adventures of knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), is set after "House of the Dragon" but before "Game of Thrones," though fans should expect some key differences from those two shows.

For one, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" centers not on scheming kings and lords, but on an orphan who grew up in the slums of King's Landing. "Following Dunk on this journey should be a very grounded, gritty, earthy, ground up sort of feel," Ira Parker, who created "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" with Martin, said during a panel at New York Comic Con.

"We've never had this perspective before," Parker added.

Martin said this addresses criticism he's read about in the past regarding "Game of Thrones" when it first came out.

"One of the things that one of the (critics) said was, 'Here it is, another fantasy, and we get to hear more about kings and lords, and lords and kings. Nobody ever writes about the common people' – the smallfolk, as I call them," Martin said. "And that resonated with me. Believe it or not, occasionally, we do listen to some of the critics, if they know what they're talking about."

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is based on a series of novellas written by Martin, starting with 1998's "The Hedge Knight." Another difference from previous "Thrones" shows will be the tighter focus on the perspective of one main character.

"Everything we see should be through the eyes of Dunk," Martin said. "That was something to discuss when we were developing (the show). Do we want to keep with that? And I was strongly in favor of keeping with that."

While "Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragon" are "sprawling and epic," the goal was for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" to feel more "simple and unpolished," Parker said. "I hope people enjoy that. I hope people forgive us for the level of unpolished that we exhibit in this show. It is intentional, and it is inherent in these characters."

In a sharp contrast to "House of the Dragon," there will also be an absence of fire and blood in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," given that the series is set during a time when all the dragons in Westeros are dead.

"Targaryens don't have their dragons anymore. They are very much on the decline, finding themselves in this weird middle place of, 'OK, so the thing that we used to conquer this kingdom doesn't exist anymore,'" Parker explained. "Everybody starts asking, 'Why are they still in charge?'"

Who is in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'?

At the center of "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan.

The 29-year-old "Bad Sisters" actor told New York Comic Con he was filled with "crippling terror and anxiety" after learning he landed the role. "I slowly slid off the couch and fell onto the rug and just curled up in a ball and hyperventilated for an hour," he joked.

Starring opposite Claffey is Dexter Sol Ansell, who was just 9 years old when he filmed the show. Ansell, now 11, remembered the "crazy moment" when he was cast as Egg. "I realized, 'I'm going to have to shave all my hair off!'" he said. "That was my next thought. I was really excited for that."

Claffey was impressed by his "incredibly mature" young costar, dubbing him a "25-year-old in an 11-year-old's body." When they weren't working, the two bonded by going to arcades together.

It wasn't all fun and games during production, though.

On set, the actors recalled having to keep wasps away because they were attracted to the fake blood being used. "I think half the budget went to CGI-ing the wasps off my face," Claffey quipped.

Watch the trailer for 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

During Thursday's panel, Martin said his desire to write a story set during a medieval tournament served as inspiration for his source material. For the TV adaptation, he challenged Parker to create the "best jousting sequences that have ever been put on film."

While the best-selling author has been openly critical of "House of the Dragon" for making changes to his book, he doesn't have major complaints about "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" so far. Martin, who described his first "Dunk and Egg" novella as "one of the best things I've ever done," praised the show as an "amazing" adaptation and stressed it's "very similar to what I wrote."

When does 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' premiere?

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is set to debut on HBO on Jan. 18.