One of the things that perhaps surprised fans the most about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was how it commands a smaller-scale budget and scope to the other existing Game of Thrones universe shows. The latest spinoff is only six episodes in duration and each of those episodes are noticeably shorter than a regular Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon episode. So, is this just because HBO wanted to play it more safe with the first season of the more obscure spinoff?
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The answer is no. The more concise setup was planned from the get-go, and in fact this might even be enforced further in future seasons of the series too. This has been confirmed by showrunner Ira Parker in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, wherein he explains the following.
"It'll still be six episodes. I think the scope will be same, maybe even smaller. The budget has stayed the same, but everything is more expensive due to inflation. Plus, book two takes place in a drought, so we can't shoot exteriors in Belfast. We have to go to a sunny location with no water, which costs money — that's a major expense that we did not have in season one. I'm having a lot of fun season two. It's going to be a different season, and, I hope, for the better."
It should also be said that unlike Game of Thrones' source material of the A Song of Ice and Fire series and House of the Dragon's Fire & Blood, which are books that are hundreds of pages long each, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comes from a slate of novellas from George R.R. Martin that are just over 100 pages long each. With more concise source material, it naturally only makes sense that the overall scale of the show is smaller too, don't you think?
If you haven't yet, be sure to read our review of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.