HBO is treatingGame of Throneslike the golden goose that it is. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, the premium cable network is developing a new sequel series centered around the character Jon Snow. StarKit Haringtonis attached to reprise the role, which he played for eight seasons on the wildly popular fantasy series, based on the novels byGeorge R.R. Martin.
The sequel show means that there are now at least sevenGame of Thronesspinoffs in various stages of development at HBO and HBO Max.House of the Dragon, a prequel series that chronicles the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, will be the first out of the gate, with an August 21 release date looming. Other shows in development includeTen Thousand Shipswith showrunnerAmanda Segel,The Sea SnakefromshowrunnerBruno Heller, andThe Tales ofDunk and Eggfrom showrunnerSteve Conrad. Threeanimated series are also in the works, while one live-action prequel wasdenied a series orderafter a pilot was filmed.
Jon Snow remained a fan-favorite character throughout the series’ run. It was revealed in the Season 7 finale that his real name is Aegon Targaryen, which made him one of the rightful heirs to the Iron Throne. But the series finale showed Jon Snow leaving behind his old life at Castle Black, and subsequently journeying beyond the Wall with his wildling companions.
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Jon Snow was killed off at the end of the fifth season, but was resurrected by the Red Witch Melisandre in Season 6. Harington often spoke about the physical and emotional challenges of playing the character, who became increasingly popular during the show’s eight-season run, and basically locked him down creatively for several years—to the point where he was forbidden from cutting his long hair to maintain continuity forGoT.
He tried branching out while the show was at its peak—Harington starred in directorPaul W.S. Anderson’s ill-fatedPompeiipicture, and voiced a character inHow to Train Your Dragon 2; he also starred in directorXavier Dolan’s poorly received dramaThe Life & Death of John F. Donovan. But Harington’s first major post-Game of Thronesrole came in the Marvel Cinematic Universe spectacleEternals. The film underperformed at the box office, and is infamous for being the lowest-rated MCU movie critically, but it certainly left the door open for him to return as the Black Knight.
Although now, theoretically, Harington’s future might only involve Marvel movies and multiple seasons as Jon Snow. But that’s hardly a reason to complain. The show did, after all, earn him two Emmy nods and played Cupid for him and his wifeRose Leslie. As forGame of Thrones, one character-centric sequel could mean more character-centric sequels. If it worked for Marvel and Lucasfilm on streaming, there’s no reason it can’t for HBO as well.
