The next Game of Thrones spin-off, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is improving one key detail from House of the Dragon. The six-episode season will begin the adventures of two unlikely heroes, Peter Claffley’s Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Dexter Sol Ansell’s Prince Aegon Targaryen, the future king of Westeros. Excitingly, the next entry in the Game of Thrones franchise will debut in January with two key differences to its predecessors.
HBO offered a plethora of exciting updates for the Game of Thrones franchises as it renewed House of the Dragon for Season 4 and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for Season 2. The network hyped up the Westeros franchise’s exciting release calendar, “One Realm, New Stories, Every Year.”
The calendar confirmed that, after Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on January 18, 2026, it will return for Season 2 in 2027. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon Season 3 is set for Summer 2026, followed by the fourth season in 2028, continuing the bi-annual release calendar that began in 2022.
In releasing new seasons in back-to-back years, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will do what House of the Dragon couldn't, replicating the annual release calendar used for Game of Thrones’ first seven seasons.
HBO’s Head of Drama, Francesca Orsi, revealed to Deadline in February that the premium network was already eyeing two further seasons of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Each season would adapt one of George R. R. Martin’s three Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas - The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight.
This comes in part due to it being “smaller-scale, more cost-efficient production with less VFX work and a shorter turnaround time,” with HBO even considering filming the remaining seasons back to back.
A report from Redanian Intelligence stated filming on Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2 would take place in Q1 2026, filming back to back with Season 3. It seems likely plans have changed, given the current renewal order was only for one further season.
As filming on Season 1 began in June 2024 before premiering a year and a half later in January 2026, HBO viewers ought to see Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2 around Summer/Fall 2026.
What Comes Next for the Game of Thrones Universe?
To recap, 2026 will begin with Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on January 18, followed by House of the Dragon Season 3 over the summer. That will be followed by more adventures of Dunk and Egg in 2027 before the Targaryen sagas fourth chapter debuts in 2028.
If Game of Thrones’ second spin-off does catch another renewal, as seems likely, it could debut in 2028 alongside House of the Dragon’s next outing. Alternatively, it could be saved until 2029 to maintain an annual release calendar for Westeros TV.
It’s unclear whether House of the Dragon will still end with Season 4 as was once the plan. Deadline reported that writing on the fourth outing is now underway and the “end date could change,” possibly opening the doors for it to continue into Season 5 in 2030.
After that, both of the current spin-offs could be over and HBO will need new tales to take their place. Fortunately, there are several new Game of Thrones projects in the works, including a movie, multiple animated shows, and the much-requested Aegon’s Conquest spin-off.
