Everything to Know About the Jon Snow Series HBO Is Developing With Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington
The return of the King in the North. The original Game of Thrones is over, but the spinoffs are just getting started.
Shortly before the August 2022 premiere of prequel House of the Dragon, news broke that HBO is working on a GoT sequel series about Jon Snow — and Kit Harington is attached to reprise his role as the former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
George R.R. Martin, who wrote the books on which GoT was based, confirmed the news in June 2022. “Yes, there is a Jon Snow show in development,” the Song of Ice and Fire author wrote on his blog at the time. “Yes, it was Kit Harrington [sic] who brought the idea to us. I cannot tell you the names of the writers/showrunners, since that has not been cleared for release yet … but Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific.”
The Eternals actor played Jon Snow throughout GoT‘s entire run from April 2011 to May 2019, appearing in nearly every episode of the show. His character began the series believing his parents were Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and an unnamed woman with whom Ned had an affair, but he eventually learned that his “father” hid his real parentage so he wouldn’t be killed.
As revealed in the show’s final seasons, Jon’s mother was Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi), and his biological father was Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding), the late brother of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). This meant that Jon was technically the rightful heir to the Iron Throne of Westeros, though the series ended with Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) ruling the country.
It’s unlikely that Clarke will appear in the new show given that her character died during season 8, but her former costar did let her know that he might return to the HBO fold. “He has told me about it,” the Last Christmas actress told the BBC in June 2022. “And I know it exists. It’s happening.”
Harington has been open about the fact that making GoT — which marked his first TV appearance — was very difficult, but he also credits the show with bringing him happiness in both his personal and professional lives. The Pompeii star met his wife, Rose Leslie, while working on the series, and the duo welcomed a son in February 2021.
“I look at [the show] with great fondness,” Harington told The Guardian in February 2022. “I looked at it from a perspective of tortuousness and anxiousness a lot when I was in it. I’ve got no reason to be doing that now.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about the Jon Snow spinoff series.
The return of the King in the North. The original Game of Thrones is over, but the spinoffs are just getting started.
Shortly before the August 2022 premiere of prequel House of the Dragon, news broke that HBO is working on a GoT sequel series about Jon Snow — and Kit Harington is attached to reprise his role as the former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
George R.R. Martin, who wrote the books on which GoT was based, confirmed the news in June 2022. “Yes, there is a Jon Snow show in development,” the Song of Ice and Fire author wrote on his blog at the time. “Yes, it was Kit Harrington [sic] who brought the idea to us. I cannot tell you the names of the writers/showrunners, since that has not been cleared for release yet … but Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific.”
The Eternals actor played Jon Snow throughout GoT‘s entire run from April 2011 to May 2019, appearing in nearly every episode of the show. His character began the series believing his parents were Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and an unnamed woman with whom Ned had an affair, but he eventually learned that his “father” hid his real parentage so he wouldn’t be killed.
[jwplayer MaIDuQWt-zhNYySv2]As revealed in the show’s final seasons, Jon’s mother was Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi), and his biological father was Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding), the late brother of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). This meant that Jon was technically the rightful heir to the Iron Throne of Westeros, though the series ended with Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) ruling the country.
It’s unlikely that Clarke will appear in the new show given that her character died during season 8, but her former costar did let her know that he might return to the HBO fold. “He has told me about it,” the Last Christmas actress told the BBC in June 2022. “And I know it exists. It’s happening.”
Harington has been open about the fact that making GoT — which marked his first TV appearance — was very difficult, but he also credits the show with bringing him happiness in both his personal and professional lives. The Pompeii star met his wife, Rose Leslie, while working on the series, and the duo welcomed a son in February 2021.
“I look at [the show] with great fondness,” Harington told The Guardian in February 2022. “I looked at it from a perspective of tortuousness and anxiousness a lot when I was in it. I’ve got no reason to be doing that now.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about the Jon Snow spinoff series.
In June 2022, Martin revealed that the show’s working title is Snow.
No premiere date has been announced as the series is still in the early stages of development.
HBO has made no official casting announcements. In June 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Harington will reprise his role as Jon Snow if the network moves forward with the series.
Snow is set to be a sequel that takes place after the events of GoT, which leaves the possibility open for some of that show’s characters to return. When the original series ended, Jon returned to Castle Black with Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), then led the wildlings back to their lands beyond the Wall. Bran presided over Westeros as King of the Six Kingdoms following the North’s secession, while Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) became Queen in the North. Arya (Maisie Williams) decided to leave Westeros and explore the Sunset Sea.
House of the Dragon is set hundreds of years before GoT, so it’s unlikely that Snow will overlap with the prequel series.
The writer confirmed his involvement with Snow in a June 2022 blog post, though he didn’t specify in what capacity. “Kit’s team have visited me here in Santa Fe and worked with me and my own team of brilliant, talented writer/consultants to hammer out the show,” he wrote, noting that there are several other GoT spinoffs in development that might not make it to series. “Nothing has been greenlit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be … on any of these shows,” he added. “The likelihood of all four series getting on the air … well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually.”
Jon is not doing well, Harington revealed at the official Game of Thrones Convention in December 2022. “At the end of the show, when we find him in that cell, he’s preparing to be beheaded and he wants to be,” Harington said via Entertainment Weekly. “He’s done. The fact [that] he goes to the Wall is the greatest gift and also the greatest curse.”
He continued, “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 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’s interesting.”
Harington concluded, “He’s not OK.
