It used to be so easy to develop spinoffs of beloved shows. Something like Game of Thrones would have spawned a dozen failed follow-ups before its final season hit. The tried and true method involved giving solo stories to beloved characters. Unfortunately, Game of Thrones didn’t set itself up for that possibility. With everything set against it, HBO wisely shelved their Jon Snow spinoff series.
Jon Snow remains a fan-favorite character in Game of Thrones. A more traditional story would treat him as the chosen one. He’s a determined underdog, facing impossible odds to find out who he truly is. He finds greatness within him, defeats powerful foes, and keeps his moral compass relatively intact. Snow is a saint next to most of the cast. Unfortunately, his character appears in a new context without the sprawling world around him.
Kit Harrington Confirms Jon Snow Spinoff is Canceled
Kit Harrington was set to reprise his role as Jon Snow in a spinoff series tentatively titled Snow. George R. R. Martin mentioned the project in 2022, stating that Harrington dreamed up the idea. Unfortunately, after years of development, HBO shelved Snow. Harrington spoke to Screen Rant on a press tour for his upcoming crime thriller, Blood for Dust. Asked about Snow, he sadly explained that the spinoff is no longer in development. Harrington had this to say:
Currently, it’s off the table, because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being.
Though Harrington mentioned the theoretical possibility of attempting Snow again at a later date, it seems well and truly dead for now. While the show’s passing may come as a blow to fans of Jon Snow, it’s hard to imagine a version of this show that doesn’t struggle with its place in the franchise.
The Other Game of Thrones Spinoffs Have a Better Shot
House of the Dragon saved Game of Thrones as a franchise. Most fans were loath to watch anything attached to the branding, but the prequel drew attention back to Westeros. HBO has several other potential prequels, some of which are already canceled, while others remain in apparent limbo. Here’s a short list of some of the pitched ideas:
- Bloodmoon: This canceled concept was HBO’s first idea after Game of Thrones wrapped. It would have starred Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse as nobles struggling to survive the legendary Long Night. The pilot never aired, but Bloodmoon‘s failure paved the way for House of the Dragon‘s success.
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight: This series, seemingly still in development, will adapt George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg books. The tale of two unlikely heroes wandering Westeros takes place less than a century before the original story.
- 10,000 Ships: This prequel is ostensibly in production, though HBO has mentioned nothing since 2022. The show would depict Princess Nymeria’s dangerous voyage across the sea to save her people from the Valyrian Freehold’s tyrannical dragon riders.
- Nine Voyages: The only known animated series would depict the earlier life of Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon. He reached his high station in House of the Dragon through several successful sailing ventures, which could make for great animated adventures.
- Aegon’s Conquest: Though officially untitled, this series would depict the brutal campaign of violence that unified Westeros under the Iron Throne. Screenwriter Mattson Tomlin, set to co-write The Batman: Part II, will develop the show, which seems to be heating up.
While not all of those shows will ever see the light of day, they have one element in common. Every other proposed Game of Thrones spinoff is a prequel.
The Jon Snow Series Could Never Survive Game of Thrones Season Eight
Whatever its merits, Snow would have had to deal with season eight of Game of Thrones. That poison pill guaranteed the failure of the spinoff. Fans hated the ending of Game of Thrones. Its gradual decline and swift plummet in quality caused the sudden death of an otherwise untouchable phenomenon. HBO cannot return to the present or move into the future of Westeros without contending with the choices D. B. Weiss and David Benioff made. The rushed ending killed any opportunity to explore new avenues. Fans don’t trust HBO to work without source material, guaranteeing a nasty fate for Jon Snow’s standalone series.
The Jon Snow show could have been a fun new horizon. It could have pushed the conversation forward and perhaps even fixed elements of the original finale. However, returning to that territory risked creating a show that added nothing to the franchise. HBO made the right decision with House of the Dragon. They needed to prove that they could still do the complex storytelling and brilliant character work that made Game of Thrones popular. They also needed to distance themselves from the franchise’s ruined elements. Their other options deserve a chance to shine. Snow may have fallen, but it’s likely better that way.
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