George R. R. Martin surprised by graphic opening in Game of Thrones spinoff

People reports that George R. R. Martin said he was "a bit surprised" by the graphic bathroom sequence that opens HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, in which Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall defecates while the Game of Thrones theme plays.

Martin told The Hollywood Reporter that "Not to say that my characters don't take s--ts, but I normally don't write about them at any length," and that when he saw the rough cut he wrote, "What is this? Where did this come from? I don't know if we really need the s---." Showrunner Ira Parker told THR the scene was meant to show Duncan hearing the hero theme in his head, then becoming so nervous that it "turns his guts to water," establishing that Dunk "isn't 'a hero yet'" and is a "nervy kid with a nervous stomach" the season will examine. Parker also joked to Variety about the behind-the-scenes details, saying "a magician never gives it away" and adding that the production does very little fake work.

The six-episode series, based on novellas by Martin, follows Dunk and his squire Egg and is set roughly a century before Game of Thrones, per HBO; new episodes premiere Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO. Actor Peter Claffey described stepping into the role as terrifying and said he was hoping the show would be taken well.

Key Topics

Culture, Martin, Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Ser Duncan