How Next Game Of Thrones Prequel's Budget Compares To Original Show & House Of The Dragon Revealed

HBO's head of drama, Francesca Orsi, compares the budget for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The upcoming prequel to George R. R. Martin's fantasy epic adapts the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas for the screen. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars Peter Claffey as the titular knight named Ser Duncan the Tall as he rises from squire to hedge knight with the aid of his own squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). The series is set to air in 2025

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Orsi opened about how the production for the next Game of Thrones installment shapes up to the tales of kings that came before. With changing production standards and costs, the executive revealed that the series cost less than $10 million per episode. Despite this scaled-down budget, she emphasized that the scope of the battles seen on screen meets the heights of Game of Thrones' best battles, giving executives a renewed glimpse into how to handle battles. Check out Orsi's explanation below:

I like being charged. As much as there was a day of budgets being a bit more robust and now, while they continue to be for a number of shows, there are some shows that we’re being charged with making for far less. I have an example that really took me aback. We’re doing a Game of Throne spinoff titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for under $10 million in episode, [which is peanuts] relative to what Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon cost episodically. And the battle sequences that the directors achieved match those across Game of Thrones and are a fraction of the price, so it’s a lesson for us that we need to be challenging these budgets.

What Does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Budget Mean For The Upcoming Show

The Story And Era Offers A Drastically Different Tale

Those who were brought to Game of Thrones for its large-scale fantasy wars should not be worried by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' smaller budget since the cost seems appropriate for the source material that it adapts. As opposed to the tales of Targaryens, dragons, and White Walkers in Westeros-spanning conflicts, the upcoming series will focus on the exploits of a knight making his name in the world. As such, the series will mainly be driven by characters rather than spectacle, exploring Duncan's rise to recognition and his guidance of Egg to be a better man.

game of thrones house of the dragon egg and dunk

Dunk & Egg Explained: What Game Of Thrones' Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Is About

HBO has greenlit another Game of Thrones spinoff series titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, following the characters Dunk & Egg.

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Furthermore, the battles in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms lack many of the elements that could inflate a budget. With the White Walkers having yet to emerge and dragons believed to be extinct, there will be less pressure on integrating these elements into a battle scene. In contrast, both Game of Thrones and House of Dragons heavily featured those mystical creatures, which further explores their higher budgets. As such, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will likely have a greater focus on its leads in the conflict to bring out the best of its drama.

Our Thoughts On A Knight Of The Seven Kingdom's Budget

The Series' Success Could Shape The Franchise's Future

Ser Duncan the Tall on a horse with a lance from the cover of The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already set to be a major departure from the precedents set by past Game of Thrones series. Despite a few key players having ties to some of Westeros' most recognizable dynasties and the potential for younger versions of infamous faces to appear, the novellas are a humbler tale that acts as more of a rags-to-ritches story when opposed to the political power plays of royalty. However, with the potential of key battles, such as the Battle of the Redgrass Field, set to be put to screen, there will be some action.

However, with Orsi teasing the hard work of the series' directors in bringing the battles to life, many viewers may wonder just how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can reinvigorate the franchise's battles without compromising due to the smaller budget. Furthermore, with the executive likening the experience to a lesson for HBO, many may wonder if these changes could have further ramifications for how future Game of Thrones productions are approached.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter