Game of Thrones may have ended in 2019, but the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, 2026 will be a historic year for the franchise, becoming the first year HBO will release two Game of Thrones shows in a single calendar year.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 will kick off in January, introducing a new chapter of the franchise set between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. We’ll then return to Westeros in the summer for the third season of House of the Dragon, which is expected to arrive sometime between June and August. Both shows have also already been renewed for additional seasons, ensuring that the Game of Thrones franchise will produce new seasons for years still to come.
The franchise remains a priority for HBO and continues to perform strongly, and fans continue to speculate about what spinoffs could be coming next to expand the franchise. At the top of the list for many fans is a proper spinoff that continues the direct story of Game of Thrones, but it seems there is one character fans shouldn’t expect to return to Westeros… at least not with the original actor’s help.
Kit Harington makes it clear he has no desire to return to the Game of Thrones franchise
Although there was once hope that a Jon Snow would be coming, it seems not only is that spinoff dead but the odds of seeing Jon Snow back in Westeros via a live-action spinoff or even an audio project are next to none.
While speaking about his role as Gilderoy Lockhart in the new Harry Potter audiobook with Variety, Harington was asked about his willingness to return should HBO greenlight a new Game of Thrones audiobook. Rather than entertaining the idea or keeping the door open to a possible return as Jon Snow, Harington slammed the door shut with a statement that made it clear he has no interest in returning to the franchise.
“No, god no. I don’t wanna go anywhere near it,” Harington bluntly stated. “I spent 10 years doing that. Thanks, I’m alright.”
His remarks certainly turned heads as it wasn’t that long ago he was working on staging a comeback to lead what was one of the most anticipated Game of Thrones spinoff projects. In 2022, it was reported that HBO was developing a spinoff that would see Harington return as Jon Snow and continue the character’s story.
Sadly, just two years after the project was announced to be in development, Harington revealed in an interview with Screen Rant that the project had been scrapped.
“I hadn't really ever spoken about it, because it was in development. I didn't want it leaked out that it was being developed, and I didn't want the thing to happen where people kind of start theorizing, getting either excited about it or hating the idea of it, when it may never happen. Because in development, you look at every angle, and you see whether it's worth it.”
Interestingly, when revealing the news, Harington seemed to give hope that if the story came together he would be interested in revisiting the project.
“And currently, it's not. Currently, it's off the table, because we all couldn't find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It's firmly on the shelf.”
It seems that something has clearly changed in the past year since Harington gave that update, as his comments to Variety hint that he has no plan to return to the Game of Thrones franchise.
Perhaps there are some sour grapes after the spinoff project surrounding Jon Snow, or perhaps Harington simply didn’t want to give fans false hope that he could return when there are no plans. Only time will tell whether Harington’s time with the Game of Thrones franchise is over, or if we could see Harington back in some form be it a new series, an audiobook, or something unexpected!