Kit Harington Has Candid Response to Game of Thrones Return, Following Jon Snow Spinoff Cancellation & Sequel Talk

Kit Harington played Jon Snow through all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and, had things worked out differently, he might have already returned. A spinoff with Harington attached was put into development back in 2022; by 2024, however, the Jon Snow sequel show had been scrapped, as they couldn’t find the right story to tell. That’s hardly surprising, given the end of the show saw him going back beyond the Wall, and didn’t set up a whole lot more for the character.

Harington has moved on to other projects, including a couple of major franchises. He joined the MCU as Dane Whitman in Eternals, and now he’s part of the Wizarding World. The actor voices Gilderoy Lockhart in Audible’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Full-Cast Edition). He spoke with Variety about taking on the role and his love of Potter, and of course was asked about Game of Thrones as well. When asked if he’d be interested in voicing Jon Snow if there were a new audiobook version of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Harington very firmly declined, saying: “No, god no. I don’t wanna go anywhere near it. I spent 10 years doing that. Thanks, I’m alright.”

It’s Better If Kit Harington Doesn’t Return As Jon Snow

Harington’s response, while likely partly said in jest, is a little surprising, simply because he was involved in the efforts to make a Jon Snow spinoff series. However, with that shelved, seemingly for good, then the actor appears happy to continue moving on from the character and franchise. As he notes, he did it for 10 years, so to that end it makes sense he’d be content not revisiting it in any way, even if it were an audiobook rather than a TV show.

This comes at a time when there has been talk of Game of Thrones sequels, as George R.R. Martin recently confirmed there are some in development at HBO. It’s unclear what they might be about, but it would appear as though Jon Snow won’t be part of anything that happens.

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Being back beyond the Wall does mean he’s easier to leave out than some, though if there were a direct continuation with multiple cast and characters back, and he weren’t a part of it, it would inevitably feel like a major hole in the series. If it’s something like an Arya Stark series, following her new adventures finding what’s West of Westeros, or a series set way into the future, then it’d be much easier to explain his absence.

Ultimately, though, it’s better if Harington doesn’t return as Jon Snow, as great as he was. He had one of the best conclusions in Game of Thrones‘ ending, as it was a very fitting place to leave his character. There’s no real reason to undo that – as the failure to crack a spinoff story shows – and that makes Harington’s stance on not returning a lot easier to understand and take.

Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Max.

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