Sorry Jon Snow, Another Beloved Character Is Getting A Game Of Thrones Spin-Off

So long, Jon Snow TV show. You've now formally joined the ranks of other announced "Game of Thrones" spin-offs that've been quietly and unceremoniously canceled. At least that one had a good excuse, though — namely, its creatives couldn't find a good enough story to justify bringing Kit Harington's character back.

"Game of Thrones" itself, meanwhile, has become a bonafide franchise. "House of the Dragon" has deepened the property's lore and the sense of history by focusing on the House Targaryen, while the fast-approaching "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" will expand the franchise with a smaller-scale side adventure vastly different in tone and feel. It appears that HBO and Warner Bros. are now prepared to give Westeros the "Star Wars" treatment, i.e. turn it into a sandbox that can fit in many types of stories. One of those will apparently take the form of a Sea Snake spin-off (a "Sinbad in Westeros" show, basically). However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that project has since been turned into an animated title to keep costs down. 

Elsewhere, the planned Aegon the Conqueror prequel spin-off is still being developed as both a potential drama series and also a "mammoth 'Dune'-sized feature film" by WB's film team. And while the Jon Snow sequel series got scrapped, that area of the franchise is not being fully abandoned. While HBO apparently found the broken Jon Snow angle "too much of a bummer" and pushed the show aside, THR has learned that "Drops of God" writer Quoc Dang Tran is on board to rework the whole "'Game of Thrones' sequel series" concept. Indeed, one possible angle would involve shifting the story from north of The Wall to the land of Essos and adding another main character — specifically, Maisie Williams' Arya Stark.

According to THR, the Arya spin-off is still in very early development, but insiders are optimistic. There's just one problem: getting Kit Harington to come back looks to be a challenge. The actor recently made it very clear he is not enthusiastic about the idea of returning to Westeros (via IGN), plus he's doing some great work on the HBO series "Industry."

If, and this is a very big if, the Jon and Arya spin-off gets made, then it might just bring yet another flavor of story to this franchise. The last time we saw these two characters in the highly divisive "Game of Thrones" series finale, Jon had been banished north of the Wall while Arya had decided to leave Westeros and explore the seas. How and why they would reunite if the show ultimately aims to feature both of them may prove to be quite tricky. Still, if the series can pull this off, that ought to make for an interesting pairing, considering Jon and Arya were one of the most entertaining duos on "Game of Thrones."

Now, if HBO decides to just scrap the Jon Snow part altogether and focus exclusively on Arya, then it's another story. An Arya-only spin-off has the makings of a fitting replacement for the original version of the Sea Snake spin-off by being a more adventure-focused, high seas show featuring exciting and never-before-seen locations. The continent of Essos, after all, is much bigger than Westeros, and we've hardly explored much of it. Thus, this could potentially expand the world of "Game of Thrones" in an interesting way and give us something both fresh yet familiar and recognizable.

We'll bring you more "Game of Thrones" news as it comes our way.