HBO is cooking up another tale from the imagination of New Jersey’s own George R.R. Martin.
Like the upcoming HBO series “House of the Dragon,” this one will take viewers back to Westeros, the fantasy land in “Game of Thrones.”
Titled “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” the series is set 90 years before the events in “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the series of books upon which “Game of Thrones” is based, Variety reports.
”House of the Dragon,” due out in 2022, is set 300 years before the events in the Emmy-winning show. Something else the two “GOT” offshoots have in common: Targaryens.
George R.R. Martin’s writing has yielded multiple potential “Game of Thrones” prequel series.Matt Sayles | Invision | AP
“Dunk and Egg” may sound like shorthand for a Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast combo, but they are the two main characters in Bayonne native Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas: “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2003) and “The Mystery Knight” (2010), which were published together as “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” in 2015.
“Dunk” is the nickname of Ser Duncan the Tall, a figure recounted in Westeros history.
The knight, who served as lord commander of the kings guard, started out as an orphan from Flea Bottom.
“Egg” is short for Aegon V Targaryen, the future king who became Duncan’s squire when he was young and accompanied him on travels through Westeros.
Sound vaguely familiar? The pairing and their adventures, at least in premise, are reminiscent of the road dynamic between Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound, in “Game of Thrones,” as well as the travels of Ser Brienne of Tarth and her squire Podrick Payne.
The Hound traveled across Westeros with Arya Stark in “Game of Thrones.” The “Tales of Dunk and Egg” series would feature another duo.Helen Sloan | HBO
Though the series is still in the planning stages, Martin’s world-building already reveals details of the history of the characters in “Dunk and Egg” and how they relate to figures we already know.
Egg’s son, Aerys II, became the “Mad King,” father to the dragon-riding main “GOT” character Daenerys Targaryen.
“GOT” viewers will also remember (series spoiler) that Aegon Targaryen was Jon Snow’s real name, which he eventually learns, along with the fact that he is not Ned Stark’s son, but instead the son of Ned’s sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys’ brother, making Daenerys his aunt.
The Aegon Targaryen name passed from Aegon the Conqueror, the first Targaryen king, down to Egg, son of King Maekar, down to Jon.
Egg became king after the death of his older brother Aerion. He was an unlikely king because he assumed the throne over not one but two siblings. His other older brother, Aemon, rejected the crown. “GOT” fans know Aemon as the maester at Castle Black (before his death during the series).
Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) in the eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones.” The characters discover they share a family bond. Two upcoming series will focus on the history of the Targaryens.Helen Sloan | HBO
“House of the Dragon,” the “GOT” prequel series due out in 2022 from HBO and HBO Max, follows the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons, which came long before the fall of House Targaryen that sent Daenerys into exile. The show is based on the 2018 George R.R. Martin book “Fire & Blood,” a history of House Targaryen.
“Game of Thrones” ran for eight seasons on HBO with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, winning the Emmy for best drama four times.
Martin served as an executive producer of the series, which had an ensemble cast including Peter Dinklage, who grew up in Mendham and won four Emmys for playing Tyrion Lannister on the show.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.
