UPDATED (December 5th, 2023): New information about the Jon Snow show and other Game of Thrones spinoff shows from HBO CEO Casey Bloys.
Many Game of Thrones fans are excited and more than ready to see a continuation of the main show that ended in 2019, and past rumors suggested that a sequel could be coming in the form of a TV series centered around Kit Harington's Jon Snow.
Even though the Snow series has yet to be greenlit by HBO, it is reportedly in the early stages of development.
If it does air, Game of Thrones star Kit Harington was confirmed to be reprising his role as Jon Snow. George R.R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series that Thrones was based on, has also been consulted about the idea.
There are still a lot of unknowns regarding the show as a whole, but at the same time, there is also a lot of information that has already hit the public eye. That said, here is everything you need to know about Snow, from the potential cast to what it may be about.
Is There Going To Be a Jon Snow Spin-Off?
News of a Jon Snow spinoff series was first shared by The Hollywood Reporter on June 16, 2022.
At that time, not many details were given regarding the project aside from Harington reprising his role as Jon Snow and the series being in early development at HBO.
Following that report, George R.R. Martin, the creator of the Jon Snow character as well as the entire world of Westeros, confirmed the news on his Not A Blog blog.
Martin revealed that "the working title for the show is SNOW," and that "it was Kit Harington who brought the idea" forward.
The creator also told readers that he knew who the showrunners were, that Harington hand-picked them, and that "they are terrific:"
"It seems as though Emilia Clarke has already mentioned that 'SNOW' was Kit’s idea in a recent interview. So that part is out. Yes, it was Kit Harrington who brought the idea to us. 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."
The acclaimed author also revealed that Snow has been in development for as long as the other three live-action shows that HBO has in the works within the A Song of Ice and Fire world, such as Ten Thousand Ships, Sea Snake, and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms:
"'SNOW' has been in development almost as long as the other three, but for whatever reason it was never announced and it never leaked… until now."
However, Martin made sure to let fans know that HBO still hasn't officially given the series the greenlight yet and that there is still a chance that it may never get made:
"Please note: nothing has been green lit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be… on any of these shows. The likelihood of all four series getting on the air… well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually."
In short, it was confirmed by multiple sources that HBO is planning a Snow spinoff series, but fans should be cautious until there is an official greenlight.
Due to fan interest and how popular Jon Snow was in Game of Thrones, it would make sense for HBO to have a lot of faith in a sequel show like this.
If the script is presented and everyone involved is pleased, it wouldn't be a surprise if Snow was officially announced sometime soon.
Interestingly, in November 2023, HBO CEO and chairman Casey Bloys, via TV Line, shared that the Kit Hartington-led Jon Snow spin-off series isn't happening anytime soon, noting that they "always have 'Game of Thrones' scripts in development.
Still, Bloys confirmed that the network gave a series order to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, last spring:
"We always have 'Game of Thrones' scripts in development. We greenlit 'Dunk and Egg' in the spring."
For those unaware, the Dunk and Egg series that Bloys was referring to is a prequel based on Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin's novella trilogy of the same name.
When Will Jon Snow's Sequel Release?
Even if Snow is greenlit sometime soon by HBO, it will likely be quite a while before the first episode airs.
HBO already announced an additional spinoff that is in the works alongside House of the Dragon, and it is none other than A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.
It was confirmed on April 14 that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was in development and will be released in the future.
If it follows the other two shows that are set in the world of Westeros (Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon), it will premiere on television screens roughly three to four years after its official announcement (Game of Thrones was announced in 2007 and premiered in 2011, and House of the Dragon was greenlit in 2019 and came out in 2022).
That means that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will likely come out as early as mid-2026 and as late as mid-2027.
Seeing as how House of the Dragon is being planned for either three or four seasons, it appears as though A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere as soon as House of the Dragon is over.
If Snow were to be confirmed and greenlit by HBO in 2024, that would mean that it would come out in either 2027 or 2028.
However, if HBO doesn't want two shows set in Westeros to overlap, it could be even longer. But if that is not a big deal for the shows to release alongside each other, a 2028 release seems most likely for Snow.
It is possible that each show could release a season every two years, and if that is the case, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could premiere in 2027, and then a new season could come out every two years. Snow could debut in 2028 and follow the same release strategy.
Jon Snow Sequel Show Cast: Who Could Return?
Since Snow will be a direct sequel to Game of Thrones, the possibility for any surviving characters from that show to appear would be high.
However, there are only a handful of characters that would most likely appear as of right now.
Kit Harington - Jon Snow
Of course, the title character is going to have the largest presence in the upcoming show, and it was already confirmed that Kit Harington would be reprising his role as the true King Beyond the Wall.
The entire premise of the show was Harington's idea, so he will have a huge impact on the final product not only on-screen but behind-the-scenes as well.
Kristofer Hivju - Tormund Giantsbane
One of the biggest and most popular characters in the latter half of Game of Thrones was Tormund Giantsbane, and seeing as how he rode beyond the wall with Jon in the final moments of Game of Thrones, it would not be a surprise if he showed up.
Gwendoline Christie - Brienne of Tarth
At the end of Game of Thrones, Brienne was given the role of the official Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. If something were to happen and King Bran had to travel beyond the Wall in the Snow series, Brienne would be right by his side.
In an interview with Newsweek in June 2022, Christie was asked about a potential return to the world of Westeros, and she seemed excited about the prospect:
"Brienne of Tarth is incredibly close to my heart, and I would relish any opportunity to revisit her. I believe she is enduring."
When specifically asked if she could appear in Snow, Christie didn't deny the proposition,and said, "I mean... maybe. Maybe."
John Bradley - Samwell Tarly
Many fans were surprised to see Sam Tarly make it through the final conflicts of Game of Thrones, but the fan-favorite character would be welcomed back with open arms if he were to appear on-screen again.
Sam became Jon's outright best friend over the course of Game of Thrones' eight seasons, so if there was any chance at all that the two characters could reunite, it would make sense for it to happen.
Like Gwendoline Christie, Bradley also expressed interest in returning to the franchise when Snow comes out, telling Digital Spy in July 2022 that HBO could "send a script" to him:
"But in the future, who knows? I haven't spoken to anybody about the potential Jon Snow prequel, but if somebody wants to send a script my way I’d be interested to read it."
Sophie Turner - Sansa Stark
Unlike the previously mentioned Game of Thrones stars, Sophie Turner has not commented on a potential return to the franchise. However, seeing as how she is now the Queen of the North in a Winterfell that is now independent, it would only make sense for her to make some sort of appearance.
Sansa and Jon became increasingly close over the course of the main show, and seeing as how Winterfell is so close to the Wall, a trip to see Jon wouldn't be that difficult.
It is also probable that when the conflict of the show starts, Jon will need some help. There would arguably be no one better than Sansa and the forces of Winterfell to come to Jon's aid.
Rose Leslie - Ygritte
Yes, Rose Leslie's Ygritte didn't appear in Game of Thrones after Season 4's penultimate episode where she died in Jon's arms.
However, seeing as how Leslie is married to Harington in real life and the two were madly in love in the series, the show could realistically feature her in flashbacks, especially if the series as a whole were to deal with a broken Jon Snow.
Will Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Be in the Sequel to Jon Snow?
Due to her popularity amongst fans, the idea that a Game of Thrones sequel series could be on the way has fans wondering if Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen will be featured in the show.
Just as the majority of viewers adored Jon Snow, Daenerys arguably stole the hearts of the fanbase even more, and many wanted to see her stand tall at the end of the series ruling over Westeros.
However, those that watched Season 8 know that Daenerys' story didn't have a happy ending.
After she went mad just as her father did, she used her dragon, Drogon, to burn most of King's Landing and the Red Keep, killing thousands of people in the process.
Knowing that her reign would probably be one filled with terror and a lust for more power, Jon made the ultimate decision to thrust a knife into Daenerys, ultimately ending her life.
Many fans have theorized that Dany may not actually be dead. Drogon did grab her body and fly away with it, but Clarke herself recently gave fans some insight into what they can expect from her in the future.
In an interview with Extra in June, Clarke admitted how weird it was for her to see the world of Westeros in another show like House of the Dragon and even confessed to not watching it.
The actress also mentioned the Snow spinoff and said that she will not be in it:
"I wouldn’t be in it no, I don’t think so… He hasn’t called…"
What Will Happen in the Jon Snow Spinoff Show?
Snow is, once again, extremely early on in the development process, but Kit Harington was kind enough to tease what the upcoming series will be about when he appeared at a panel at the official Game of Thrones Convention in December 2022.
Based on Harington's words, it seems as though Snow is going to dive deep into the mental state of Jon after he rode north beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones' final scene.
It also seems like the Jon fans will be introduced to in the upcoming spinoff won't be the go-get-it version of the character that everyone fell in love with during the main show.
According to Harington, Jon had to deal with a lot during his life, and in Snow, fans will get to see the character reflect on everything that he lost:
"He's gotta go back up to the place with all this history and live out his life thinking about how he killed Dany, and live out his life thinking about Ygritte [played by Rose Leslie] dying in his arms, and live out his life thinking about how he hung Olly [Brenock O'Connor], and live out his life thinking about all of this trauma, and that… That's interesting."
Harington also added that Jon is "not okay" at this point in his life and teased that the show will explore that:
"So I think where we leave him at the end of the show, there's always this feeling of like… I think we wanted some kind of little smile that things are okay. He's not okay."
It is unclear what the central conflict will be in Snow, but it could be something as simple as Jon's own past.
The broken hero story seems to be currently growing more popular than it has ever been. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi dealt with it in the Star Wars realm, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also included that kind of story.
If Harington and his crew go that route, it would obviously be quite different to see Jon Snow in that kind of headspace. He was always Thrones' optimist, so it would be foreign territory to see him really struggling with his own thoughts and being down on the world in general.
If that is the story that they are wanting to tell, it would be hard to imagine HBO not greenlighting it.
However, anything can happen, and while it seems as though the Snow series is in a good place right now, fans should be wary of getting their hopes up until the show is made official.
