The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” showrunner called casting Dunk and Egg “the easiest decision

10.10.2025 Comment Views: 15

The Game of Thrones franchise is returning soon with a new prequel series.

While audiences await the third season of House of the Dragon, HBO is preparing another George R. R. Martin–universe prequel: Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Adapted from the Dunk and Egg novellas, the series promises a smaller-scale, character-focused tale set against the backdrop of Westeros.

Although the show itself has yet to premiere, casting came together remarkably quickly. The show’s writer and showrunner, Ira Parker, said selecting the leads was “the easiest decision” she’s ever had to make.

According to Parker, the casting director received thousands of submissions and sent shortlists of about ten actors at a time. Dexter Sol Ansell — cast as Egg — was in the very first package, and the showrunner immediately felt he was the perfect choice.

“I remember asking the casting director, ‘So, what now—do we just offer him the role?’ We kept auditioning, of course, and saw hundreds more actors, but we kept coming back to Dexter.”

Ira Parker

The search for Peter Klaffi, who plays Dunk, took a bit longer, but the outcome was equally clear. A former professional rugby player with limited acting experience, he auditioned several times and, as Parker noted, “got better with each round.” The final chemistry read with Ansell confirmed this pairing was exactly what the show needed.