a Game of Thrones spinoff centered around Jon Snow at the Wall is supposedly in the works, but the Kit Harington-led show makes more sense as movie.
Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington has been making waves over the last year since it was revealed a spinoff series centered around Jon Snow was in development. The series would focus on Jon’s life after returning to the Wall after the fallout of the Game of Thrones finale.
In a blog post from June 2022, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin confirmed that the Jon Snow spinoff was in motion. It had been in pre-production for about as long as the other Westerosi spinoffs, and that Kit Harington is indeed helming the project. Martin also revealed that its working title currently is Snow, though this is subject to change during development. Many were anticipating an official reveal ahead of the first Game of Thrones convention back in December, which Harington attended. Though no such announcement was made, Harington did comment on its development.
What Would John Snow’s Game of Thrones Spinoff Entail?
According to Entertainment Weekly, Harington described the state of Jon Snow at the end of Game of Thrones Season 8 as follows:
I think if you asked him, he would’ve felt he got off lightly. 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. 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 all of this trauma, and that… that’s interesting. 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.
When put like this, Harington makes a compelling case for Jon’s post-Game of Thrones development. However, given HBO’s ongoing production of both House of the Dragon and several other Game of Thrones spinoffs, HBO will have to be careful how they handle all these new entries into the franchise. If they hope to build an interconnected universe comparable to Disney’s MCU or Star Wars out of George R. R. Martin’s world, they should perhaps consider turning their prestige television franchise into a multimedia one. This could open up a new dimension of storytelling for this universe, keeping things fresh for longer and avoiding any potential “Westeros-fatigue” that could come with releasing too many TV series too soon.
Why Jon Snow’s Game of Thrones Spinoff Would Work Better as a Movie
Making the Jon Snow sequel an episodic story runs the risk of having to set up excessive drama and high-set stakes simply for the sake of filling episodes. Then there’s the question of scope. Would Snow be a miniseries contained to one season? Or would they stretch it out into several seasons? This could lead to Snow beginning to feel like Castle Black soap opera, when the story sounds like it would be better served with a single, self-contained character exploration story.
Throw in the fact that by the end of Game of Thrones, the Night’s Watch serves little purpose. The threat posed by the Night King has already passed, large sections of the Wall have been destroyed, and the free-folk are no longer enemies of Westeros. Jon and the Night’s Watch could focus on helping the free-folk rebuild their homes, and explore the dynamic between them and the Seven Kingdoms in a post-Walled Westeros. But again, this lack of tension would lend itself better to a two-hour movie than an episodic series.
Many fans would be happy to see any new Game of Thrones series release, especially one centered around Jon Snow. Many longtime fans felt the character was dealt a terrible hand by the show’s writers. However, given the emotional state of the character as described by Harington, a follow-up to Jon’s arc from the Game of Thrones finale sounds like a better vehicle for a film than a TV series. Not only would it keep the story focused and self-contained, but it could even lead to a stronger, more satisfying conclusion. Additionally, it would be a great first entry for a Westeros-based film, allowing HBO to expand the scope of their partnership with George R.R. Martin.
