Kit Harington leaves the gate open for Jon Snow return
Kit Harington says he could be Jon Snow again.
The Game of Thrones star told the Happy Sad Confused podcast he now feels more comfortable with returning to the character and world than he did in the past. The interview was reported on 21 September by The Hollywood Reporter. He added that there is still a world in which a Jon Snow project could work.
The sequel, a spinoff meaning a new series built around an existing character, was developed for about two years before it was shelved. Harington said the team stopped because the story was not right.
That is the latest turn in a long development road. A Jon Snow series with Harington attached was first reported to be in early development at HBO in 2022, according to Variety. Harington was described as the main driving force behind the idea, Deadline reported. By April 2024 the project was reported to be no longer in development, and HBO chief Casey Bloys later confirmed that status while saying the network may “try again.”
Harington also gave the clearest picture yet of what the shelved version looked like. The starting idea had Jon living alone north of the Wall as a broken man with post-traumatic stress. He had chased off his direwolf Ghost and thrown away his ancestral sword Longclaw. Harington said he wanted Jon to avoid a hero arc and eventually die.
A revival was attempted last year. Writer Quoc Dang Tran, known for Drops of God, came aboard to take another pass at the sequel. That version included a possible shift of the story to Essos, the continent across the narrow sea from Westeros.
For fans, this means two fantasy worlds are now in play at once. Harington has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, in season two of HBO’s live-action Harry Potter series. He replaces Nicholas Hoult, who was originally cast but left the role, Deadline reported.
The casting has a personal link. Harington voiced Lockhart in the Full Cast Audio editions of the Harry Potter books released last year. He said listening to the audiobooks every night helped him after he got sober.
He is currently promoting a four-part MGM+ television adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, which was released on 6 September. No new Jon Snow series has been ordered.
What makes this stand out is the tone. Harington is not pushing a return. He is leaving the gate open.
