A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a far cry from George R.R. Martin‘s other books, which completely lean into the epic fantasy themes. Season 2 of the eponymous prequel HBO show will be based on the novella, The Sworn Sword, which has an even smaller scale than its predecessor. Unlike The Hedge Knight, this novella has no jousting scenes, which might lead people to think that it would be less expensive. However, showrunner Ira Parker has revealed that it is not the case due to certain logistical reasons.
Quick read:
- Season 2 has the same budget as the first one.
- Despite this, it has been more challenging than before.
- One of the lead actors’ paychecks is putting a strain on the budget.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2’s budget has been “trickier” than season 1
Dunk and Aerion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Image: HBO)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1’s budget was less than a third of that of House of the Dragon per episode, and this included those Trial of Seven scenes. In a new interview with IGN, Ira Parker revealed that the upcoming season has the same budget but still costs more.
Parker told the outlet, “Look, it’s tricky because the money for Season 2 stayed the same as Season 1, which really with inflation, means you have less. And then we’re also a two country shoot now, which, there’s a lot of dead money there. […] When I first thought about ‘The Sworn Sword,’ I thought, ‘Oh, this’ll be great. We can actually do a Season 2, very small and contained and for a little amount of money.’”
He admitted that managing the budget for Season 2 has been “trickier” than expected and said he never imagined it would turn out this way.
More Egg scenes have made A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 expensive
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 will show less of the Targaryens, except, of course, Aegon Targaryen, aka Egg. In the season 1 finale, Egg lied to Dunk about having his father’s permission and left with him for Dorne. So, fans can expect to see more of the young squire that Dexter Sol Ansell portrays.
In his conversation with IGN, Parker stated that having more Egg scenes has also impacted the budget. He said, “We also have, I would say, probably a lot more Egg. And he’s actually probably our most expensive asset, because whenever we use him, you can’t shoot a full day because of the child hours. And so it’s funny, the things that cost you more money, because you’re right.”
Season 2 is expected to hit silver screens next year. While its future beyond that remains in limbo, Martin and Parker have already discussed the story for several more seasons.
Read more: How budget constraints forced genius choices in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Trial of Seven
