Posted in: Game Of Thrones, HBO, TV | Tagged: game of thrones, maisie williams
With the original Jon Snow series shelved, could we see Maisie Williams returning as Arya Stark for a Game of Thrones spinoff sequel?
Published Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:37:06 -0600 by Tom Chang
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Article Summary
HBO is reportedly considering an Arya Stark Game of Thrones spinoff after Jon Snow’s sequel series was shelved.
If it became a reality, the series would see Maisie Williams return as Arya, with the story exploring new adventures in Essos beyond Westeros.
George R. R. Martin revealed HBO passed on a Jon Snow sequel, citing concerns over the character’s trauma arc.
Other Game of Thrones projects in development include House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
With Kit Harington’s Jon Snow sequel series being shelved, at least one half-sister has been receptive, with Sophie Turner interested in a Sansa Stark spinoff series pending a worthwhile story and contract. With nothing official, the focus might have shifted to the younger Stark sister, Arya, played by Maisie Williams, courtesy of writer Quoc Dan Tran (Drops of God), according to The Hollywood Reporter. In an interview with author George R. R. Martin, whose A Song of Ice and Fire novels inspired the HBO-created series Game of Thrones (titled after his first novel), it was noted that HBO didn’t see a future with a “broken Jon Snow” series, deeming it “too much of a bummer.” But reports indicate a sequel series is being reconsidered, with Arya added to the mix and the locale shifting to the Mediterranean-like Essos.
Maisie Williams in Game of Thrones. Image courtesy of HBO
Game of Thrones Sequel Idea Focuses on Arya Stark
At the end of Game of Thrones, the Stark siblings, after saving the Seven Kingdoms from the Dead, Jon Snow helps to retake King’s Landing for Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and subsequently commits regicide, with his former queen going too far in its sacking. With the youngest Stark sibling, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) voted as new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, a compromise was struck where Jon would be banished back to the Night’s Watch, where he served voluntarily for the better part of the series. Sansa would rule as Queen of the North and retain independence from the Realm, and Arya sailed off to new adventures in Essos after being the actual hero of the Realm, downing the Night King (Vladimir Furdik).
With the other active shows being prequels with House of the Dragon, which is entering its third season, and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, premiering on January 18th, there would be skepticism as no past alum of the David Benioff and D.B. Weiss series have shown any series interest since Harington’s proposed sequel series got scrapped with HBO rejecting the idea of the title character suffering from PTSD with no interest in taking on any new adventures. Outside of the potential development of the Arya spinoff, Williams has expressed interest to GQ as of 2022, but since it’s 2026, we don’t know if things have changed. For more on Martin, you can check out the whole interview.
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