'Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington says Jon Snow spinoff is no longer in the works
The Jon Snow show is a no-go at HBO.
A "Game of Thrones" spinoff series centered on Kit Harington's character is no longer in active development, the actor revealed in an interview with Screen Rant.
"Currently, it's off the table, because we all couldn't find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough," Harington said. "So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for HBO for comment.
A Jon Snow series was confirmed to be in the works in 2022, and it was expected to take place after the events of "Game of Thrones." In the show's 2019 series finale, Snow went into exile beyond the Wall after murdering the queen, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), to protect the realm. The potential spinoff would not have any book material to work with, as author George R.R. Martin has not yet completed writing the original series.
In 2022, Clarke revealed to the BBC that the idea for the Snow spinoff was "created by" Harington himself, a fact that was then confirmed by Martin. The author also revealed Harington had selected writers and showrunners.
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"Yes, it was Kit Harrington who brought the idea to us," Martin wrote on his blog. "I cannot tell you the names of the writers/showrunners, since that has not been cleared for release yet … but Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific."
While the show is not currently being developed, Harington told Screen Rant it's possible he and HBO could revisit the project down the line.
"There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no," he said. "It's firmly on the shelf."
The actor also expressed disappointment that the project was leaked in the first place because he didn't want fans to start getting excited about a show that "may never happen," adding, "Because in development, you look at every angle, and you see whether it's worth it."
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At a "Game of Thrones" convention in 2022, Harington teased that Snow is "not okay" at the end of the series finale, without explicitly promising that this will be explored in a potential spinoff.
"I think if you asked him, he would've felt he got off lightly," he said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "At the end of the show when we find him in that cell, he's preparing to be beheaded and he wants to be. He's done. The fact he goes to the Wall is the greatest gift and also the greatest curse."
Even without Harington's show, HBO has several spinoffs of "Game of Thrones" in development following the success of the prequel series "House of the Dragon." The second season of "House of the Dragon" premieres in June, and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight," an adaptation of Martin's "Tales of Dunk and Egg" novellas, is on the way. Like "House of the Dragon," it will be a prequel to the original series.
In a blog post last year, Martin also said three animated "Thrones" projects are in the works, including "Nine Voyages," which would center on Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) from "House of the Dragon."
"Will any of them make it to air? Happen? No way to know," Martin said. "Nothing is certain in Hollywood."