Daniel Ings Shares Insights on Star Wars and Westeros

Daniel Ings has had a remarkably busy run across major screen franchises recently, wrapping production on Lucasfilm’s upcoming feature film Star Wars: Starfighter while looking ahead to the future of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The British actor, known for his work in The Gentlemen, plays Ser Lyonel Baratheon, famously nicknamed the Laughing Storm, in the six-episode television adaptation scheduled to premiere in 2026.

Having recently finished shooting Star Wars: Starfighter alongside Ryan Gosling under the direction of Shawn Levy, Ings reflected on the scale of the production with unreserved enthusiasm. Lucasfilm officially announced his casting in August 2025 as part of an ensemble that includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams, with the film slated for a 2027 release. Describing the shoot as “epic,” Ings shared his excitement about stepping into the galaxy far, far away.

“I felt great. I felt tremendous about it. I f–king loved it. I got nothing to add there. I got nothing, no issues for me.”

Looking Ahead to Westeros and Ser Lyonel Baratheon

While Star Wars: Starfighter is currently gearing up for post-production, fantasy readers will be equally interested in Ings’s comments regarding his role as Ser Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The upcoming adaptation translates George R.R. Martin’s beloved novellas following Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg into a tighter, six-episode narrative arc for television. If you have been following the production details, you will know that bringing this grounded era of Westeros to screen requires a distinct approach compared to the grand dragondrama of House of the Dragon.

Addressing what lies ahead for his character beyond the first season, Ings remained careful not to confirm official greenlights while making his enthusiasm clear. “I mean, I couldn’t possibly comment on Series 2, but I would love for audiences to get to see Lyonel Baratheon again. I’d love to play this guy again,” Ings noted in a recent conversation with reporters.

More intriguing for book readers is a brief exchange Ings recalled having directly with the author while filming on location. According to Ings, Martin pulled him aside on set to offer a quiet reassurance regarding the character’s long-term journey across the lore. Martin told him, “You know, your character comes back later on down the line.”

Faithfulness to the Source Material

For those familiar with the source novellas, starting with The Hedge Knight, Ser Lyonel Baratheon is one of the standout figures at the Ashford Tourney, bringing a boisterous, formidable presence to the lists. The relationship between the television production and Martin’s original prose has been a major point of discussion among fans, particularly as discussions around future seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continue behind closed doors. Ings emphasised that the creative team has kept the text firmly at the centre of their work, describing the series as “very faithful to George’s writing.”

That commitment to source fidelity will be reassuring to readers who love the specific tone of the Dunk and Egg stories. As seen in previous behind-the-scenes insights, such as how Tom McCullagh and Stephanie Rea discussed ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ and its distinct aesthetic, the series shifts focus from grand royal court politics to dusty tourney grounds and roadside inns. Martin himself was famously moved when visiting the practical environments constructed for the shoot, with reports echoing how George R.R. Martin was overwhelmed on the Dunk & Egg set during filming.

Though formal confirmation regarding subsequent seasons remains unannounced by the network, Martin’s reminder to Ings mirrors the structure of the expanded fiction. Lyonel Baratheon remains an influential figure in the broader history of the Seven Kingdoms, and if the television adaptation continues to follow the prose closely, viewers have plenty more to see of the Laughing Storm.