With our attention so fixed on House of the Dragon, it can be easy to forget that there are other Game of Thrones spinoffs in various stages of development … some of which would promise the return of familiar faces if they come to fruition.
During Kit Harington’s recent guest appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, he teased the possibility of a Jon Snow sequel series, though he maintained we shouldn’t get our hopes up just yet.
Jimmy and Kit’s nearly 8-minute interview covers several topics, from Kit’s family life to his upcoming film, Baby Ruby, but at 3:08, Jimmy asks Kit about the Game of Thrones fan convention he attended last year, to which Kit fondly replies:
“It was a bit like going back in time. You know, I know it’s only been four years or something but it feels longer and I went to it and it’s nice seeing the fans and it’s kind of amazing that, that show has still got such a fan base and it’s continuing on in its in its own way.”
Which, of course, segues (3:35) into “rumors” of a Jon Snow spinoff. Jimmy and Kit both speak of it as something largely hypothetical which … I find confusing. A Jon Snow spinoff was, indeed, announced to be in development last summer. This doesn’t guarantee that it’ll make it all the way through production, but it’s objectively more than a rumor. Watching Kit pretend to *sigh* know nothing, frankly, gives me flashbacks to that awful year between seasons 5 and 6 when Kit and every other soul connected to Game of Thrones had to swear up and down that Jon Snow really was dead and wasn’t coming back.
Maybe I’m overthinking things. Jimmy and Kit’s conversation is charming and towards the end (4:44) Jimmy beseeches fans not to ask Kit for selfies in order to hurt his ego badly enough to make him agree to make the spinoff. He speculates that “if you [don’t] do it for the next two days, by Monday we could have an answer, and we could see a Game of Thrones spinoff right now with Jon Snow.
We’ll see what happens.
The best part of that interview, for me, was that I had never seen the bit where Kit sings “Drops of Jupiter” previously on the show. So the reference caused me to look it up and feel all the secondhand embarrassment that I missed. 😃
It was also great seeing Pedro host SNL (which I don’t usually watch), and the great response that he and Bella are getting for The Last of Us. ❤
Kit has been talking like someone who is not actually allowed to confirm the existence of Snow while everyone knows Snow exists. He has to play dumb (possibly due to a NDA) while knowing a lot. So you get weird bits like his bit with Fallon because they both know the answer, but Kit cannot actually say it.
Absolutely in love with that show and them! ❤
Right?!?!? So good. Honestly, he’s just good in everything I’ve seen, and I’ve been keeping an eyeball on him since Game of Thrones. 😊 I haven’t seen Bella in as much, but I have really been looking forward to the 2 of them together in this, and she’s been equally great.
💯!!!
I would really like to know what this show is going to be about. Right now, I just can’t imagine justifying this without having some info on what the point of this show is or why I should watch it. I’m not interested in watching Jon Snow repeat”muh kween” anymore and pretend to be traumatized by having to kill Hitler Targaryen. This show really needs to have a compelling, original idea.
Mr Derp,
But I’m afraid that’s exactly what this is gonna be. Didn’t Kit Harington say about Jon Snow, that “he is not in a good place”?
And I seriously wonder why he says something like that: He is free, at the place he feels most at home, among friends, accompanied by his direwolf and got away with murder – twice!
No excuses needed, like “she shamed the honour of the family” or “the wify didn’t do what she was supposed to do” and “No, your Honor, I have absolutely no idea why she went nuts. I certainly did nothing wrong. Maybe it was the hormones.”
Isn’t that the wet dream of wifebeaters and murderer of women around the planet?
Unfortunately that’s neither compelling nor very original, it thousand of years old, but if they throw in Tormund, a couple of beers, a warm fire and a cave maybe a halfway decent comedy will come out of it at the end. After all, Kit Harington has already said, that he would like to do more of this…
Hanni,
He’s in the place where he was killed and where his former lover died in his arms. He had to kill the people who killed him including a child. The place he is in is a place of immense trauma and there is no indication that he actually wanted to kill Daenerys. So of course he has trauma tied to that as well. Jon’s entire life has been traumatizing and it only got worse since he was resurrected.
Hanni,
CT said much of what I feel 🙂 While I have no desire to see this Jon Snow sequel whatsoever, Jon never wanted to kill Dany and can’t even bring himself to feel it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think he’d have such a carefree/indifferent/joyous attitude toward killing Dany where Jon would be happy and free beyond the Wall with few worries on his mind. Kit Harington has said it destroys Jon to kill Dany. This is also the full context of Kit Harington’s “[Jon’s] not okay” quote as well:
I think that does make sense because Jon does have a ton of trauma to process and things that would hurt forever (which I think is something Harington has said before). Dany, Ygritte, his death, friends and family lost, betrayals… much of it happening right there at the Wall…
Every single character on Game of Thrones went through a lot of trauma.
Jon can process his trauma off-screen all he wants just like the rest of them…There still needs to be an actual plot or point to this show that’s not all about him wallowing in trauma otherwise there’s nothing to watch.
Is that what you guys want to watch? Jon Snow just processing trauma?…from events that have already happened?
If Jon STILL cannot see why he had to kill Dany, then he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve his own show. I mean, really, still? That’s what we’re in for? That’s not compelling television. That’s just content for the sake of content.
Mr Derp,
Honestly, this sequel feels like HBO is doing content for the sake of content and for the life of me, I can’t understand why a Jon Snow sequel of all things is needed and I do think Jon Snow’s onscreen story is done as far as the (GoT) show is concerned. That said, I don’t think it’s possible to separate Jon (especially a character like Jon) from that amount of trauma over acts he committed which sent him to the Wall in the first place and what has happened to him at the Wall. Plus, Dany wasn’t just another kill or another enemy but was a loved one for Jon whom he killed. I don’t think it’ll ever be simple for him. Of course, all of the GoT characters have trauma to process and if a sequel were being made about one of them, I’d expect their spinoff to address their trauma and mental struggles as well. I do imagine Jon will be haunted by what he went through and what he’s had to do. I expect there to be other plots that can co-exist with any trauma writers may explore.
Adrianacandle,
Well, I’m all ears to hear the compelling reason why this show needs to exist. Spending an hour every weekend in a therapy session with Jon Snow because of “muh kween” isn’t it.
I get it was difficult for him to kill Dany, but give me a break. He already stopped caring for her in any intimate way when he found out they’re related. He knew he needed to kill her by the time he went through with it. He can be upset about it all he wants, but he has to know it was the right thing to do otherwise the entire thing is just an exercise in ridiculousness…and some people actually want a show to cover him wallowing in this? You didn’t get enough of that in the GoT finale? You want MORE of this? Isn’t this show meant to be entertaining?
Again, if there’s a compelling story here then I’m all for it, but, yikes…
It would probably be more compelling to see Drogon’s subsequent reaction to Dany’s death rather than Jon’s.
It would be more compelling to see Arya’s adventures.
It would probably be more compelling to see Sansa ruling the North (ok maybe not. I never liked Sansa)
It would be more compelling to see Bran go full heel as king and see the subsequent reaction(s).
Hell, it would be more compelling to watch that damn “beetle smash” scene again.
Anything would be more compelling than a show dedicated to Jon Snow crying over killing Hitler Targaryen and saving Westeros.
Mr Derp,
You’re asking the wrong person for a reason why this show needs to exist.
Canonically and according to Kit Harington, Jon Snow was in love with Dany, even after finding out about their blood relation. The issue he had there was incest and being uncomfortable with their physical relationship. I can pull out quotes if you like. You may not agree but this is the view of the script, the writers, and the person in charge of the sequel. Also according to the script and Kit Harington, Jon has trauma around killing Dany and trauma around other things including events that happened at the place he was exiled to. In 8×06, Jon told Tyrion it didn’t feel right to kill her and, per Harington, is likely one of the things that will “hurt forever”. It’s just not a simple thing, even if Jon does ever come to see the necessity of it. There are many emotions involved with this and being exiled to that Wall, where many traumatic things _did_ happen to Jon — I don’t think that all can be brushed under the rug to be dealt with off-screen if this spin-off does go forward.
It’s not what about what I want. If it were, we wouldn’t be talking about a Jon Snow sequel at all. Rather, I think it’s about what Kit Harington wants (or what he sees for this show) and whatever HBO and the writing team decide.
I completely get you’re not interested in this. I’m rather hoping it doesn’t take off at all.
Mr Derp,
Further, I think each of these characters (well, save for Robot Bran perhaps because emotion doesn’t seem to be part of him anymore) have emotional struggles and traumas that would need to be addressed if a spin-off were being made around them. No, it doesn’t need to make up the entirety of the show as it wouldn’t need to when it comes to Jon but I do think — like Jon — it would need to be part of their story.
Alright, what’s the over-under on this series being finished before Martin finishes the next book? 😀
Adrianacandle,
I sort of get what you’re saying, but you’re also saying two different things at once. You’re saying you don’t want the sequel, but you’re also vehemently defending it at the same time, so I don’t think I’m asking the wrong person.
You and I both think season 8 was a mess and this sequel would not only bring all of that up over again, it would build off of it. I’m really surprised you don’t think the Snow sequel is an outright terrible idea based on this alone.
I just don’t understand why anyone wants to watch a show that’s all about reveling in the darkness of Jon’s “trauma”. I watch shows like GoT for entertainment and it’s a useful distraction from the real world. The last thing I want is to have is a 1 hour therapy session once a week over someone else’s fictional trauma. We know what Jon went through. We saw it. We don’t need him to verbalize it in a new show. That’s not interesting.
Of course everything Jon’s been through would be part of his story moving forward, but that’s a bit different than a show specifically being ABOUT his trauma. I just don’t get the need to wallow in the dark side of everything. We know he went through a lot. We don’t need an entirely new show to beat us over the head with it. It’s not compelling television. It’s just wallowing in darkness for the sake of it.
I just think those characters had their time and it’s over now. This desire for more spin-offs feels like obsessive desperation for more “content” rather than coming up with an original story that needs to be told.
What exactly would they do North of the Wall anyway now that the White Walkers are gone? There’s literally nothing for them to do up North. I really think Kit should reveal a bit more about what the plan for this show is moving forward otherwise there really doesn’t seem to be an actual point or plot to move the show forward.
Mr Derp,
I’m sorry for my miscommunication :/ Thinking about this last night, I had sort of the same realization about my posts and how they may have come across so I’ll try to explain what I mean.
I do agree with you with for the most part. I think the problem I’m having is that I feel powerless here and I’m bracing myself for the worst. Yes, I do feel Snow is a terrible idea (and for the reasons you’ve said). Yes, devoting an hour to a fictional character’s trauma would be a terrible show idea.
What I was trying to say is if a show about Jon Snow does go forward, I don’t think such a show without addressing his trauma would feel authentic to his character. But I should certainly clarify I don’t mean a full Jon Snow therapy session every week where it’s only that and nothing else — I just mean touching on his trauma but having other stories (maybe ala Angel for an old school reference), not devoting a whole show to it, God no.
My initial response to all this was to a poster up there (not you!) because I was objecting to the idea that Jon would view Dany’s death as a, “Score! I got away with her murder!” as if it’d be a “wifebeaters” “wet dream”. That’s where my objections really came from and then it snowballed.
True but I don’t think he’s allowed to officially talk about it at this point. At the GoT con in December, he didn’t actually talk about the sequel but about the Jon Snow character in general.
Uff… trying to build a new series on top an ending that had a poor reception seems……like a bad idea. And tbh, we still technically don’t have a real ending for Jon Snow cuz GRRM isn’t going to finish these books for sure.
Mr Derp,
Its even worse than that tbh. The show would be about Jon Snow processing trauma over a very rushed relationship that was difficult to buy into already. Both the setup for the romance, and the final murder were so poorly executed (pun not intended), so imagining having to wallow in the aftermath of something so poorly done…. gosh i hope this project doesn’t happen lol.
This show idea COULD work. I wondered if the showrunners might somehow work in the Val character who was cut from the books. I presume anything that goes ahead will have to have the approval of GRRM? Unfortunately, we know from history that one war doesn’t prevent other wars arising later, so the fact that the White Walkers (the Others in the books) and Dany T are gone doesn’t prevent another baddy rising up somewhere on Planetos. I guess much will depend on the calibre (British spelling before anyone jumps down my throat) of the writers who handle the project (IF – and it’s a fairly big if – and when the show is commissioned).
I don’t think so, I just think he’s being consulted.
Sorry Val was cut from the SHOW not the books.
Wow. Jumping in late so maybe noone will come back to this thread and read my post but:
Seriously people, I can think of at least 5 compelling story ideas related to Jon and none of them involve wallowing in misery the entire time. He can be traumatized, but noone, including Kit, ever claimed that would be what the show is ABOUT. In the Last of Us, for example, Joel is traumatized but the show is not about how miserable he is. That is just an element of his character, as it would be for Jon Snow. It just takes a little bit of creativity to be intrigued by the possibilities for the Jon Snow spin-off.
If you all remember, Jon Snow is and remains the one and only tenuous thread holding together what is left of the North. Queen Sansa has a reasonable grip on the Stark bannermen, but she has no authority whatsoever over the wildlings and the Wall is destroyed. Maintaining peace in the North now is a big and complicated job full of cultural misunderstandings to put it mildly.
Then there is the Night King. This one may have been defeated, but he was not understood. Nothing is in place to stop future copycats, and the knowledge base is extremely poor regarding what exactly went down in the rest of Westeros. Jon knows the stakes but rebuilding the Night’s Watch is a monumental task and he will face quite a bit of apathy and disbelief even now.
Use your imaginations! There is lots to work with.
Name them.
So far you’ve named two ideas, both of which require recycling plotlines from Game of Thrones that we’ve already been through. Wildlings vs. the North? Yup, we’ve done that already. The Night King? Yup, done that one already.
This is a new show, so it requires new ideas. If they want to recycle plotlines that’s what re-watching Game of Thrones is for.
That’s kind of where I’m coming from too. Their relationship was very rushed and somewhat forced. And then their relationship turned sour because they’re related and Jon Snow could not bring himself to be intimate with her anymore, yet he’s just so utterly traumatized by having to kill her even though she literally turned into Hitler? Give me a break and spare me the forced drama.
I definitely agree with that and I know you’re not into the sequel 🙂 I guess I just feel like his “trauma” is a bit overblown to the point of ridiculousness.
Put yourself in Jon Snow’s shoes. You fall for someone, start a relationship, find out that they’re related to you, find out that they’re threatened by it, you can’t bring yourself to be intimate with this person anymore, and on top of all that, they literally turned into Hitler. This is a bad relationship to put it mildly.
There’s a point where the pros vs. cons to killing her was so lopsided that even Jon Snow had to realize he made the right decision and this wallowing over it is just obnoxious, not compelling.
Mr Derp,
I understand that it’s not something you want to see and that’s fair 🙂
Yet honestly, if I were in Jon Snow’s shoes, I couldn’t bring myself to feel it was right because that person was a loved one and canonically, Jon still loved Dany. I don’t think people can really be a pros and cons list so for me and in my experience, it couldn’t feel right to kill a loved one, no matter how well the relationship was going or what they did. It would be a very complex set of feelings and very difficult to decide it’s the right thing. I don’t know if that question needs to be answered though or even actively dwelled upon — maybe just put away somewhere in Jon’s mind.
That doesn’t mean it has to take up the majority of the plot though. It kind of reminds me of how family members of criminals feel about that criminal. There’s a lot going on.
Of course, if I were in Jon Snow’s shoes, I don’t know if I’d ever speak to Sansa again after the crap she keeps pulling… but she’ll probably show up much to my chagrin.
awol,
You are exactly right–the Jon Snow sequel has a lot of potential. And YES, OF COURSE no one said the show will just be about trauma. Yes there will be a thread of that but only a part of a much vaster spectrum.
This is just not true. The situation is fundamentally different now than it was during the events of GOT. Wildlings vs. the North in GOT was enemies invading. Now, they are ALLIES with a tense history, and there is no Wall between them. In the middle of it all is Jon, defender of the common good, with his loyalties pulling in all directions in a way that is ripe with both humour and tragedy. You seem to require me to write the entire script for you before you can see the possibilities there but I am not going to do that for you.
And it is not just the wildlings who will be tempted to return to raiding. People from further South will also have a new interest in claiming territories and resources North of the Wall, and there is nothing resembling a greater authority in place to stop a kind of Wild West free-for-all.
As for the Night King. What? Seriously? Bran knows his origins but noone else does and Bran has no reason to tell. We definitely did NOT see a story about discovery and exploration in GOT – that was a crisis, not an effort to prevent and understand. There is no surviving Night King at the moment so obviously it is a fundamentally different thing. The Why and How, and exploration of the far North makes for an intriguing philosophical thread about history and human nature that in itself could be rather dry, but overlay it with the search for new purpose for the Watch, the Tormund and Jon dynamic, survival crises in the cold, and a few persistent wildling women trying to catch the interest of these men of doomed love and there is definitely something there, and it has nothing to do with what we saw before in the WW invasion. It would be show about a search for meaning, much more reflective, potentially funny, and less violent.
What is north of The Real North?