DUBAI: Ira Parker knew that adapting one of author George R. R. Martin’s most beloved novellas from the “Game of Thrones” universe would require a preternatural degree of trust and collaboration.  

The showrunner of the new HBO show “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which is showing on OSN+ in the region, cut his teeth at the “Game of Thrones” table as a writer on “House of the Dragon,”and has now worked closely with Martin to bring the author’s tales of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), a hedge knight of humble origins, and his sharp-tongued young squire Aegon Targaryen (Egg), who will grow up to become King Aegon V, to the screen, crafting a series that feels intimate and character-driven within the expansive world of Westeros. 

“Very early on, I told him, ‘I’m not going to put anything in this show that you don’t want in (it).’ And because of that, it never became a question of his version versus my version. We were just making a version together,” said Parker of working with Martin. “I would write drafts, and he would be the first person I’d send them to. Well, my wife, then to George, because she’s sometimes softer in her appraisals of my writing.” 

The series is set roughly a century before the events of “Game of Thrones” The story follows Dunk and Egg as they travel through a politically fragile Westeros where the power of House Targaryen is waning, and tells a smaller, more grounded story than its predecessors. That tone was felt early by Peter Claffey, who stars as Dunk. 

“I was so nervous for the start of the audition process and even the rehearsals. I would be constantly apologizing. And they were like, ‘That’s good, because Dunk has to be that,’” Claffey said. “So it was easy to sort of bring that nervous atmosphere and aura into things.” 

For Claffey, the physicality of the role was key to unlocking the character. Once he stepped into Dunk’s armor, he found a childish delight in the role. 

“Seeing yourself in that, it’s kind of like you go back to being a kid,” he said. “That image of yourself in the mirror, as cringy as it sounds, stays in your brain.” 

Opposite him is Egg, a boy far younger than his wit might suggest. Though small in stature, Egg is quick with sarcasm and insight, hinting at deeper secrets. Dexter Sol Ansell, who plays the character, leaned into both the humor (“I love the comedy so much,” he said) and the physical transformation required for the role. 

“It was 24/7, I was in the zone,” said Ansell. “I had to shave my hair off. And I felt like an egg. It made me get into character, made (it) feel real.” 

While the series often feels lighter than its Westeros-based predecessors, it does not shy away from Martin’s trademark political wrangling. Finn Bennett’s Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen embodies the insecurity and rage or a once-dominant force on the wane. 

“A lot of my job was to justify why Aerion acts out the way he acts out, and why he’s so angry. And I think a lot of that comes from the embarrassment he feels about the Targaryens not ruling with quite the iron fist they used to,” Bennett said. “There’s been a huge weakening of power away from the Targaryens. They don’t have any dragons anymore. And he wants to remind everybody of who they are.”  

The introduction of British actor Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon provides some of the series’ most memorable lighter moments, although, as Ings hinted, there is a blackness to some of that light. 

“Finding the humor was something that I was particularly conscious of, because the character’s called The Laughing Storm. The name brings baggage along with it. You’ve got to wrestle with that,” said Ings. “With Lyonel it was about: what is the source of that joy? And actually, he’s called The Laughing Storm because of his habit of laughing on the battlefield, which is a pretty dark thing to contemplate — somebody who finds joy in violence and death.”