HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Ditches Epic Game of Thrones‑Style Opening for a Plain Title Card
HBO’s new Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will skip the fancy, cinematic opening sequences that fans know from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Instead, each episode opens with a short, no-frills title card that appears amid the episode’s opening action — a choice meant to match the tone of the show’s central character, Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall.
Opening sequence: a simple title card
Rather than a sweeping animated map or a shifting tapestry, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms uses a plain title card with an old-timey font. The card pops up in between the beginning action of each episode, so viewers are dropped right into the scene before the show names appear.
Why the change
Showrunner and co-creator Ira Parker explained the decision in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He tied the choice directly to Dunk’s character and tone.
“All decisions came down to Dunk, trying to channel the type of person he is into every aspect of this show, even the title sequence,” Parker explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “The title sequences on the original [Game of Thrones] and House of Dragon are big and epic and incredible. Ramin Djawadi’s score is orchestral and large and beautiful. That’s not really Dunk’s M.O. He’s plain and he’s simple and he’s to-the-point. He doesn’t have a lot of flash to him.”
By contrast, earlier entries in the franchise leaned into elaborate visuals: the original Game of Thrones used a mechanical miniature map of Westeros, while House of the Dragon shows off a famous tapestry with images that shift and change as blood soaks the fabric.
Cast and setting
The series adapts George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas and is set about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It follows Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, played by Peter Claffey, and his squire Egg, played by Dexter Sol Ansell. The show was co-created by Ira Parker and George R.R. Martin.
Release and timing
HBO confirmed the series will air in January 2026, though no specific premiere date has been announced yet.
This Winter, Spring is Coming.#AKnightoftheSevenKingdoms premieres January, only on @hbomax. #NYCC pic.twitter.com/zq3wcztM37
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) October 6, 2025
Additionally, House of the Dragon season 3 has been confirmed to debut no later than May 31, 2026, giving fans another reason to keep an eye on the wider Game of Thrones televised universe.
