Game of Thrones Jon Snow Spin-Off Revived—with Arya Stark Set to Join the Adventure

written by Leo Hartwell

January 16, 2026 3:01 am

Game of Thrones Jon Snow Spin-Off Revived—with Arya Stark Set to Join the Adventure — Image credit: Legion-Media

Arya Stark is set to make a dramatic comeback, sparking excitement among Game of Thrones fans worldwide.

So, you remember that scrapped Jon Snow spin-off set after Game of Thrones—the one with Kit Harington actually reprising his role for a full-on sequel series? Well, plot twist: it’s apparently crawling back out of HBO’s deep freeze. And here's the new catch—Arya Stark might also be joining him. Yes, you heard right: the last two Starks with working plot armor might share a series.

The Post-GoT Snow Show: Pretty Grim, Actually

The Hollywood Reporter dug up some weird details on what this project almost was: The original pitch had Jon Snow living past the Wall. He’s all PTSD’d out, no Ghost at his side, chucked his signature sword Longclaw, and is basically so miserable he’d build cabins—just to burn them down. Harington, for his part, didn’t want a redemption arc for Jon at all; he wanted him to die with zero heroics or fanfare. Apparently, HBO looked at all this misery and basically said, ‘Yeah, no thanks,’ and shelved the whole thing.

The New Version: Arya, Essos, and a Different Showrunner

But now, somebody at HBO got brave (or bored, or both). Quoc Dang Tran—guy behind Drops of God—has reportedly come aboard to take another swing at the idea. Nothing is confirmed, but this reimagined version could jump the action to Essos and involve Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark. How Jon would suddenly wander from the Wall to Essos is anyone’s guess (like, did he take a left at Eastwatch?), but Arya does make sense—she sailed off at the end of GoT, and her chemistry with Jon was always one of the show’s high notes.

An insider summed up the studio’s vibe by saying:

"We are very interested and excited by the prospect of a sequel but also keenly aware of how high the bar of execution needs to be."

Some understatement, considering how the last spin-off turned out.

Wait, Does Anyone Want To Come Back?

There’s one pretty big issue—Harington (so far) doesn’t seem wild about the idea of suiting up as Jon Snow again, regardless of whatever creative reboot comes along. That’s going to complicate things for a Jon Snow show. Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin’s take has been, let’s say, complicated. He's admitted there are sequels cooking but also really doesn’t want to let HBO's storylines step on what he’s got planned for the (eventual) books. According to Martin:

"[The book's ending is] going to be significantly different. Some characters who are alive in my book are going to be dead in the show, and vice versa."

Translation: don’t expect any direct book-to-TV spoilers. And if you enjoy drama behind the scenes, Martin also called his current relationship with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal 'abysmal.' Not the word you want to hear about two key players on your TV universe, but here we are.

What's Next for Westeros?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18 (HBO, US) and January 19 (Sky/NOW, UK).
House of the Dragon season 3 should also drop later this year.

If you want to know what’s brewing (and/or quietly mutating) in the Game of Thrones universe, check out our up-to-date guide on upcoming projects. And if you’re already over the Jon Snow saga—and honestly, who can blame you?—maybe consider reading our review of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms instead. Four stars, in case you were wondering.