“Game Of Thrones” fans, meet Dunk and Egg.  HBO has their two leads for “A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight” as the series inches closer to production.  Peter Claffey will star as Ser Duncan the Tall (“Dunk”), while Dexter Sol Ansell is Aegon V Targaryen (“Egg), his squire.
READ MORE: ‘The Hedge Knight’: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff Headed For A Late 2025 Premiere
And for those shocked that Ansell, who moviegoers may recognize from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes,” is just 9 years old, well, that’s the point. The character is that young George R.R. Martin‘s “Tales Of Dunk And Egg” novellas, which follow the naïve but courageous Ser Duncan on his adventures as he trains Aegon to become a knight. Both castings are breakout roles for Ansell and Claffey, especially Claffey, a rugby player-turned-actor. Expect more casting news from HBO on the series soon.
Here’s an official synopsis for “The Hedge Knight,” courtesy of HBO: 
A century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
After first acting on the Irish stage, Claffey starred in 2022’s “Bad Sisters” and, more recently, opposite Cillian Murphy in the Irish drama “Small Things Like These.” He also has a role in the upcoming third season of “Vikings: Valhalla.”
As for Ansell, his credits beyond the recent “Hunger Games” film is all TV. He started acting at age 4 on ITV‘s show “Emmerdale.” Other credits for the actor include Sky‘s “The Midwich Cuckoos” and Netflix‘s “Christmas On Mistletoe Farm.” Other upcoming roles include “The Moor,” the Channel 4 series “Hullraisers,” and “Robin And The Hood.”
“The Hedge Knight” is just the latest of several “Game Of Thrones” spin-off series HBO plans to make in the coming years. It’ll be a while before it airs on HBO and Max, however.  Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed “The Hedge Knight” will have a late 2025 premiere on an earning call this past February, but if “House Of The Dragon” Season 2 fares well with critics and audiences again in June, expect HBO to expedite that schedule. And another hit season for “House Of The Dragon” guarantees more spin-offs will get the green light, most likely Kit Harington‘s “Jon Snow” series or “The Sea Snake.”
But back to “The Hedge Knight.” Martin and Ira Parker will adapt the first of Martin’s “Dunk And Egg” novellas for the upcoming series. Parker isn’t a stranger to “Game Of Thrones”: he worked in the writers’ room on “House Of The Dragon” S1. Martin also leads executive producers on the series with “House Of The Dragon” co-creator Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw.