HBO’s superhit “Game of Thrones” is giving way to a spinoff that will be all about everybody’s favorite Night Watch hero, Jon Snow. Now Variety has confirmed that Kit Harrington will be returning to the small screen to reprise the role following initial reports from The Hollywood Reporter.
The show is set to take place after the events of HBO’s eight season “Game of Thrones” series, which diverted from best-selling author Georgia R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” storyline around season five.
In the final season of “Game of Thrones,” Jon Snow was exiled from Westeros shortly after realizing his true identity as a rightful heir to the Iron Throne. The northern hero could then be seen riding into the Haunted Forest with his direwolf, Ghost, and the northern faction of Wildlings. It’s a season finale that leaves Snow’s character full of deliciously entertaining opportunities for a spinoff show.
But can HBO pull it off? With an audience score of 30% and a critic rating average of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, the “Game of Thrones” final season left fans disappointed. Only time will tell if Kit Harrington can rally the fanbase in this Jon Snow centric spinoff.
Following this news, there are now seven different “Game of Thrones” related projects currently in the works. From three animated prequel projects to HBO’s live-action “10,000 Ships” and “9 Voyages,” there is a lot on the horizon for “Game of Thrones” fans.
“The Winds of Winter,” Martin’s sixth installment of “A Song of Ice and Fire,” does not yet have a release date. Martin has given several release windows through the years, the first being all the way back in 2014. Speaking on Idris and Sabrina Elba’s Coupledom Podcast in May, Martin acknowledged that the book is late, but also that fans can be tough.
“I get that ‘Winds of Winter,’ the sixth book, is late,” Martin said. “I could get a hundred good comments but there are still a few fans who are going to remind me on my blog; I say ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ and they say ‘never mind Happy Thanksgiving, where’s the book?’”
In the author’s opinion, the internet and social media have brought out some fans’ bad sides.
“I love the fans, although I do think Twitter and the internet and social media has brought out a viciousness I never saw in the old days. Love and hate are very close, particularly with something like comic books or any established franchises.”
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