This Sunday, HBO will debut its second Game of Thrones spin-off series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Like House of the Dragon, the first spin-off, Knight is a prequel set many years before the events of Thrones – 90 years, to be exact.
Unlike its predecessors, Knight is based on a collection of George R. R. Martin’s novellas. The series unfolds on a much smaller scale and notably features no dragons, a hallmark of both Thrones and, even more so, Dragon.
Early reviews have been surprisingly positive — the BBC described it as "very funny" and a "total delight" — but fan enthusiasm remains lukewarm at best. That skepticism is understandable. The final season o Thrones was rushed, uneven, and unfaithful to the storytelling that defined its acclaimed earlier years. And while Dragon is compelling in its own right, the true power of Thrones always lay in its characters and emotional depth.
For comparison, Better Call Saul proved a worthy spin-off to Breaking Bad because it reintroduced familiar characters like Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut while eventually incorporating a sequel timeline. For similar reasons, many fans were intrigued by the rumored Jon Snow sequel series, which George R. R. Martin confirmed was originally brought to HBO by Kit Harington in 2022. The series was said to pick up after the events of Thrones, following an exiled Jon Snow Beyond (what’s left of) the Wall, mourning the fall of the Seven Kingdoms and grappling with the guilt of killing his queen, aunt, and lover, Daenerys Targaryen.
In an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, Martin revealed that HBO found the "broken Jon Snow" concept too bleak, anticipating that fans wouldn’t respond positively. However, the report also noted that discussions are underway about potentially reviving the sequel idea.
According to the report, Drops of God creator Quoc Dang Tran has joined the conversation to explore options, one of which would include a sequel featuring both Jon Snow along with another legacy character: Arya Stark.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: Actress Maisie Williams attends the premiere of HBO's "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
While the project remains in early development, discussions have reportedly centered on shifting the story’s setting from north of the Wall to Essos, where Arya set sail at the end of Thrones to explore the unknown lands west of Westeros. The inclination is that the storyline wouldn’t be as dark as the Jon-only version.
Presumably, Jon could find his way to a distant, unclaimed land and reunite with his favorite sister — or cousin— since his exile only applies to the Six Kingdoms. (Winterfell secured independence after the fall of the Seven Kingdoms.)
If executed properly, that’s a spin-off concept that would excite fans. It could also offer a more satisfying ending to the Westeros timeline.
Of course, HBO has shown a willingness to abandon Thrones spin-offs at various stages, whether during development (as with the Jon Snow series) or even after producing a pilot (as with Blood Moon). Accordingly, the report noted that HBO is being cautious about moving forward with any Jon-and-Arya sequel.
"We are very interested and excited by the prospect of a sequel but also keenly aware of how high the bar of execution needs to be," one insider told the outlet.
Moreover, Harington himself recently said he doesn’t "want to go anywhere near" Jon Snow again. Still, with the right script, we think he might reconsider.
It could also offer a more satisfying ending for Jon and Arya, arguably the two most beloved characters in the franchise.
Jon and Arya are arguably the two most beloved characters in the franchise. They deserve a better conclusion, and so do the fans.
We hope HBO follows through with this idea and, more importantly, gets it right this time around.
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