The Heath Ledger Cult Classic You Need to Watch Before A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Westeros is calling, but skip the eight-season cram: the sharpest warm-up for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Heath Ledger’s 2001 medieval romp A Knight’s Tale.

If you are gearing up to head back to Westeros for HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, here is a shortcut: you do not need to rewatch all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. Fire up Heath Ledger's 2001 medieval brawler A Knight's Tale instead. Weird recommendation? A little. But it is a surprisingly perfect warm-up.

Why this goofy jousting movie is the right vibe check

A Knight's Tale came out to mixed reviews and only decent box office, then quietly grew into a cult favorite. It is breezy, punchy, and unapologetically fun: think clanking armor, alley-oop fistfights, and classic rock needle-drops that are woven into the world, not just tossed on top. Under the jokes and Queen tracks, though, it is about a nobody trying to punch through a system built to keep him small. Which, if you have read George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas, should sound familiar.

The parallels are almost too on the nose

In A Knight's Tale, Ledger plays William Thatcher, a poor squire whose knight dies mid-tourney. Tournaments are for nobles only, but William throws on the armor, hides his status, and rides anyway. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) is a low-born hedge knight who shows up at Ashford Meadow after his mentor dies. He enters the lists and winds up butting heads with a Targaryen prince, which, as you might guess, escalates things far past bruised egos and splintered lances.

Both stories stick a big-hearted, dirt-poor lead in the middle of a world obsessed with bloodlines and titles, then lean on humor and sincerity to carry the fights. William and Dunk are cut from the same cloth: stubbornly decent, allergic to snobbery, underdogs built to go the distance.

Heath Ledger basically described Dunk 25 years early

At the film's premiere, Ledger said he signed on because he loved the fairy-tale arc and the pure fun of it. Then he described William in a way that might as well be a mission statement for Dunk:

"I liked the fact that he was noble in here [mind] and here [heart] as opposed to materialistically. I liked him stomping on the aristocracy."

That is the whole appeal: a guy with nothing but grit and a decent moral compass taking swings at a rigged ladder.

What to watch and when

• A Knight's Tale (movie): Directed by Brian Helgeland; based on Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Knight's Tale'; released May 11, 2001; Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%; streaming now on Hulu.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (series): Premieres January 18, 2026 on HBO.

The takeaway

If you want a smart primer on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms without homework, A Knight's Tale nails the tone: scrappy hero, tournament drama, class warfare with a grin. It is a quick, satisfying watch that echoes Dunk's journey without spoiling a thing.

Seen A Knight's Tale lately? Drop your favorite moment in the comments.