Jon Snow isn’t dead yet: Kit Harington says HBO’s spin-off could still rise again

Jon Snow fans, don’t put away your cloaks just yet. Kit Harington has confirmed that HBO’s shelved Jon Snow sequel isn’t officially dead – it’s just waiting for the right story.

From “Off the Table” to “Not Dead”

The proposed spin-off was first reported in 2022 as a direct sequel to Game of Thrones, picking up with Jon beyond the Wall with the Free Folk after the events of Season 8. For a while, it looked like the most likely follow-up to the original series.

But in 2024, Harington said the project was “off the table” because the creative team couldn’t find a story that felt worth telling. HBO’s programming chief Casey Bloys later hinted the door wasn’t fully closed, saying, “Maybe we’ll try again.”

Now, speaking at Motor City Comic Con, Harington gave the clearest update yet. “It’s open knowledge that we tried to make a Jon Snow show for a little while, and just couldn’t,” he said.

“My main thing is not wanting to go there and do an injustice by the character. I think he ended well. I think that he went where he was meant to. So if you pick him up again, it needs to be for the right reasons.”

Why It Stalled

Harington made it clear the delay isn’t about scheduling or interest – it’s about story integrity. Jon’s ending in Game of Thrones felt complete to him, and forcing him into a new arc just for the sake of a spin-off would undermine that.

“If a new arc could not deepen Jon’s journey, it wasn’t worth doing, at least not now,” he explained.

The actor said he’d only return if a script could genuinely earn Jon’s next chapter, exploring exile, trauma, and leadership without a throne in a way that feels personal and earned.

Still Alive in Westeros

This isn’t the first time a “dead” Game of Thrones project has been resurrected. Game of Thrones ended in 2019, but HBO has kept the franchise alive with House of the Dragon, which started in 2022, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premiered in 2026. Both are prequels, but the Jon Snow show would have been the first true sequel.

Reports in early 2026 even suggested the project was being revived with writer Quoc Dang Tran attached and a possible role for Arya Stark. Nothing is confirmed, but HBO hasn’t pulled the plug entirely.

For now, Harington is focusing on other work, including voicing Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter full-cast audiobooks. But he’s left the door open.

If HBO and George R.R. Martin’s team can crack a story that respects Jon’s ending while giving him something new to face, we might see him ride north again.

As Harington put it, the idea isn’t dead – it’s just waiting for a story that justifies its existence.