Game of Thrones: The Jon Snow Spinoff is Dead
The Jon Snow spinoff is “firmly on the shelf,” according to Kit Harrington, joining the list of canceled Game of Thrones projects.
At the end of Game of Thrones‘ eight-season run, HBO announced plans for multiple spinoffs – including a Jon Snow spinoff. Some, like House of the Dragon and The Hedge Knight, have moved forward. Several others about key players in the GoT saga are in production limbo—and now we know one of those is no longer on the list.
At the end of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow learns his real name and his heritage. As the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, the late Prince of Dragonstone, he carries the house alone. The last we saw of him he was in exile and had chosen to lead the Free Folk into the free lands Beyond the Great Wall.
Snow has more to do, and his lineage contains a lot of history to explore. But we won’t see it on screen.
Jon Snow Series No Longer in Development
While on the press tour for his latest movie, Blood for Dust, Kit Harrington told Screenrant that the Untilted Jon Snow series has been shelved.
I hadn’t really ever spoken about it, because it was in development. I didn’t want it leaked out that it was being developed, and I didn’t want the thing to happen where people kind of start theorizing, getting either excited about it or hating the idea of it, when it may never happen. Because in development, you look at every angle, and you see whether it’s worth it.
And currently, it’s not. Currently, it’s off the table, because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It’s firmly on the shelf.
What’s Still on the Slate
This leaves Nine Voyages (announced in 2022), which focuses on the adventures of the Corlys Velaryon. It would follow the young Sea Snake’s sea-faring journeys to Pentos, Dragonstone, and Westeros. The latest news on this is that it’s being developed at HBO with a script from Bruno Heller and support from George R.R. Martin. The project has been moved from live-action to animation as of last year due to budget constraints, acording to Martin.
Also included in the not canceled list is 10,000 Ships, which is about warrior queen Princess Nymeria (the namesake of Arya Stark’s direwolf) who is considered the founder of Dorne under Martell rule. . The ancestor of House Martell and House Dayne led Rhoynar refugees from Essos 700 years before Aegon’s Conquest. It would take audiences back to the time of the Valyrian Freeholds.
Animated Projects
Also on the animated list is The Golden Empire, about Yi-Ti, Martin’s fantasy version of Imperial China. It’s an odd choice, as it’s only mentioned briefly in A Song of Ice and Fire. According to Martin’s blog, the project’s concept art is beautiful.
The other is The Ice Dragon, one of the author’s short novels. The book, with illustrations by Alicia Austin, was published in 1980. It’s not set in the Ice and Fire universe, nor is it as an adult, but it has some of the same fantasy themes and centers on the trust between dragons and humans. It’ll make a fantastic animated movie in the vein of The Last Unicorn and The Black Cauldron.
The story is about Adara, a child born during the worst winter imaginable. In her world, ice dragons are the most fearsome creatures; they’re the topic of legends – and Adara is able to forge a connection with one, allowing her to ride it. Years after she forges this connection, a war comes from the north. Dragon riders attack her farm and family. She vows to save her people and stop the war with the help of the ice dragon.
Only time will tell which one, if any, of these projects goes into production. Which one do you want to see most?
