Unfortunately, it appears we're going to have to wait a little bit longer before getting to say "Winter is Coming" again.
When news broke that Kit Harington was actively involved in developing a Game of Thrones sequel revolving around Jon Snow, the response from fans was overwhelmingly positive. Author George R.R. Martin was said to be part of the creative team, and the hope among fans was that continuing Jon's story would go some way in making up for the main show's underwhelming final season.
Talking to TV Line, HBO CEO and chairman Casey Bloys dialled back expectations for a whole slate of spin-offs set in Westeros, confirming that Snow (the series' working title) is one of many projects nowhere close to getting the official go-ahead from the cable network.
"We always have Game of Thrones scripts in development," he says. "We greenlit Dunk and Egg in the spring. I wouldn’t say there is anything else in that world that is close to a green light or anything, but we are always working on different scripts and ideas."
Needless to say, this is massively disappointing as it suggests Snow might never actually happen. Duck and Egg doesn't appear to be at the top of many wishlists when it comes to expanding the series, while the same could likely be said for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (we recently learned it will begin shooting next Spring).
House of the Dragon, which returns for its second season next summer, will soon have some company but Snow could be a long way down the road. Last December, Harington actually shed some light on where the warrior's head is likely to be following the traumatic events of the Game of Thrones finale.
"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 explained. "He’s done. The fact he goes to the Wall is the greatest gift and also the greatest curse."
"He’s got to 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 dying in his arms, and live out his life thinking about how he hung Olly, and live out his life thinking about all of this trauma, and that, that’s interesting."
Needless to say, we won't be following Jon beyond the Wall for some sort of happy ending. However, there's always a chance he can find redemption and get a better conclusion than what Game of Thrones offered. Harrington would add, "So I think where we leave him at the end of the show...we wanted some kind of little smile that things are okay. He’s not okay."
It's a compelling premise for a spin-off/sequel, so here's hoping it happens.