'Game of Thrones' Actor Says He Likely Wouldn't Return for Jon Snow Spinoff
While it seems like the sky's the limit for the Game of Thrones spinoff SNOW, there are some characters who are almost certainly not returning no matter what. Among them are those who died, of course, but also those whose stories are simply over. One actor who played such a character has spoken out, but fair warning: there are spoilers for Game of Thrones ahead.
Kit Harington proposed a Game of Thrones sequel series about his character, Jon Snow, and has reportedly been involved in the development process from the start. His co-stars have generally wished him well and been ambiguous about whether or not they'd return, but actor Jacob Anderson gave a pretty firm "no." In a recent interview with E! News, Anderson said that he doesn't believe his character Grey Worm would have anything to do with Jon Snow after the way they left things in the series finale. To be true to the story and his character, he said he expects to skip out on this sequel series.
"I think it'd be pretty tense if he did [return]," Anderson said. "I think the only way that Grey Worm would show up in that show is to kill Jon Snow." As fans may recall, the shocking and unpopular twist in Game of Thrones' final episode was that Jon Snow murdered Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), believing her to have "gone mad" and become a danger to the world. Grey Worm wanted to kill Jon for this crime, but Jon was given the chance to serve in the Night's Watch again instead. The final scene then shows Jon riding north of The Wall, implying that he fled into exile rather than manning his post.
This setup leaves plenty of doors open for the sequel series, which has the working title SNOW according to author George R.R. Martin. Out of all the ideas proposed by fan theories on social media, a storyline about Grey Worm hunting down Jon Snow is not the most far-fetched at all. However, Anderson said that he does not believe Grey Worm would want to take on that kind of mission after leaving Westeros with the intent of carrying on Daenerys' anti-slavery crusade.
"That was quite a significant condition of [Jon] living, was that I don't ever want to see your face again. I'm gonna go my way. And you're gonna go your way," he explained.
Still, the two characters do not really need to meet in order for Grey Worm to find a place in SNOW. At the end of Game of Thrones, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) absorbed all the knowledge contained by the Wierwood trees and then maneuvered his way into kingship over six of the Seven Kingdoms. This kind of magic was always strongest in the North where Wierwood trees still grow, and Jon has a strong connection to it while Bran has become a fully adept user of it. Between them, they could astral travel through space and time, potentially checking in on characters like Grey Worm and exploring visions of the past – or perhaps even the future.
That's all speculation, of course, and SNOW is still officially in the development stage as far as we know. There's a chance it will never be filmed and will never air on TV. For now, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are streaming on HBO Max, while Martin's books are available in print, digital and audiobook formats.