The showrunner behind A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has an idea on how to bring one of the most despised characters in Game of Thrones history onto the spinoff. Even though A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place roughly 89 years before the events of Game of Thrones, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on the possibility of potential cameo appearances. While nothing has been confirmed just yet, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ showrunner has a list of cameos he believes can work, starting with one of the figures behind Game of Thrones’ infamous Red Wedding.
Polygon spoke to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker following the show’s panel at New York Comic Con to ask if he had put any thought into potential Game of Thrones cameos. After responding with a “yes,” Parker presented an idea for the Lord of Riverrun, Walder Frey, to appear on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
“My favorite is, and look, it’s not until the third book, but there’s a baby Walder Frey,” Parker said. “I have this, hopefully, really funny idea that people are probably gonna kill me for. But this idea that something’s happening, like there’s a runaway horse cart, and this baby’s about to be killed, and Dunk intervenes and saves baby Walder Frey.”
Game of Thrones Easter Egg Planned for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Brienne and Podrick in Game of ThronesImage via HBO
Ira Parker revealed another connection that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will have with Game of Thrones. It involves a familiar path traveled by Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman) as they made their way towards King’s Landing.
“In the fifth episode, there’s a scene where young Dunk is walking along a road, heading back to King’s Landing, and it’s the same road that Brienne and Pod were on when they were heading off from King’s Landing,” Parker revealed.
There’s long been a Game of Thrones fan theory that Brienne is an ancestor of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), one of the two protagonists of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Author George R.R. Martin confirmed this theory in 2016.
Walder Frey’s Role in Game of Thrones, Explained
David Bradley as Walder Frey in HBO’s Game of ThronesImage via HBO
David Bradley plays Walder Frey in Game of Thrones. He has a crucial role in “The Red Wedding,” which saw Walder Frey and his House Frey betray Robb and Catelyn Stark to the Lannisters, resulting in Robb and Catelyn’s deaths. The Red Wedding was a crucial turning point in Game of Thrones and one of the events that fans call back to when they list surprising deaths and betrayals.
Walder Frey and House Frey had been loyal to House Tully, to which Catelyn was a part of. This is what led Robb Stark to seek Walder Frey out in order to cross the Riverlands. Catelyn negotiated with Walder Frey, the result of which would have saw Robb Stark marry one of Walder Frey’s daughters or granddaughters. Instead, Robb breaks his oath and marries Queen Talisa, enraging Walder in the process.
This is what leads Walter Frey to align with the Lannisters. While Walder Frey may have gotten the upper hand on the Starks, Arya gets her revenge for House Stark in the sixth season of Game of Thrones. Wearing a mask stolen from the Hall of Faces, Arya impersonates a servant of House Frey and slices Walder Frey’s throat in the same manner that her mother, Catelyn Stark, was killed. Arya later goes on to murder Walder Frey’s sons and grandsons, sparing his wives, daughters and granddaughters since they were forced to serve the despised character.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere January 18, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.
Release Date
January 18, 2026
Network
HBO
Directors
Owen Harris
Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall
Finn Bennett
Aerion Targaryen
Bertie Carvel
Baelor Targaryen