Game of Thrones' Sansa Stark actress, Sophie Turner, has her sights on an HBO sequel comeback. The eldest daughter of Sean Bean's Ned Stark left Game of Thrones as the Queen of the North, which had been granted its independence from the other six kingdoms, of which her brother, Bran Stark, was now king.
While Game of Thrones ended after a widely criticized Season 8 in 2019, HBO is still telling new stories in Westeros, such as House of the Dragon and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which take place many years earlier. Franchise creator George R. R. Martin recently confirmed that, of the "five or six" Game of Thrones spin-offs in development at HBO, most will be prequels to the eight-season epic but "there are some sequels" (via Collider).
The Direct recently spoke exclusively with Sophie Turner while promoting Amazon Prime Video's Steal, and, naturally, the matter of Game of Thrones came up. When asked how interested she would be in reprising Sansa Stark in an HBO sequel, Turner seemed conflicted, noting how it "would be hard but also amazing:"
The Direct: "George RR Martin did recently share that multiple 'Game of Thrones' sequel series are in the works. How interested would you be in returning as Sansa Stark in any of these projects?"
Sophie Turner: "Show me the money (laughs). I don't know, I think it would be hard but also amazing to come back to it."
Turner added that, while "no one else was really happy with their ending," she was "very happy" with how Sansa's story concluded in Season 8:
"But I feel that I was very happy with the way Sansa ended her story in 'Game of Thrones,' and no one else was really happy with their ending. I feel like I got a good one, and so I don't know if I could revisit it."
Despite her concerns about tarnishing her ending as the Queen of the North (now independent from the other six kingdoms), Turner left the door somewhat open to returning in an HBO sequel as she "would have to see a script" to decide:
"Maybe it would be an utter joy, or maybe it would be trying to cling on to something that was magic back in the day that can't be recreated. I would have to see a script."
Will a Game of Thrones Sequel Ever Actually Happen?
HBO has already announced its Game of Thrones release calendar for the coming years, with annual content slated up until 2028, including new seasons of House of the Dragon and Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Beyond that, HBO is reportedly developing more live-action prequels and mystery animated projects, in addition to this curious mention of a sequel, but this won't be the first time the studio has attempted to continue the story after Season 8.
Kit Harington's Jon Snow was once set to lead HBO's first Game of Thrones sequel series until the project was shelved. That said, HBO Chairman and CEO hinted that Snow may still have some life in it, saying, "Maybe we'll try again."
Only time will tell whether a sequel actually materializes, or what/who the focus of such a story could be. Some have proposed that Arya Stark's adventures west of Westeros could be the focus, and such a project would leave little room for her sister, Sansa, or most familiar Game of Thrones characters to return.
