HBO’s head of drama has cast doubt over whether a hotly-anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off will ever make it to air. Francesca Orsi, who also serves as the network’s head of programming, told Deadline that the unnamed, Jon Snow-oriented spin-off announced last year with Kit Harington attached to reprise his role, is still in the process of being greenlit.
Orsi said that while HBO is “working deeply with the writers” to get the spin-off up and running, there’s yet to be an official “determination on whether it can go all the way.” The news contradicts earlier claims made by both Harington and his Game of Thrones co-star Emilia Clarke, the latter of whom last year said that the spin-off “exists” and is “certified by Kit Harington.”
For his part, Karrington — who was also attached to executive produce the spin-off — was more tight-lipped with his announcements, teasing earlier this year that he “can’t say anything” about potentially reprising his role. Thankfully, Game of Thrones fans can rest assured that while a Jon Snow iteration of the prestige fantasy series might be stalled, there’s at least two more spin-offs and prequels still in the works.
Alongside last year’s House of the Dragon, which was renewed for a second season, HBO is set to produce and release fellow spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight; a prequel series set in Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms. Orsi said Hedge Knight can be produced faster given the minimal visual effects required, and envisions a three-season arc for the prequel.
As for additional prequels, such as the rumoured series about Aegon’s Conquest, Orsi said it’s “still too early to talk about them” since only minimal scripts have been written. Elsewhere in the interview, Orsi discussed the status of fellow hit HBO titles like Succession, The White Lotus and Euphoria, saying the lattermost series will arrive sometime in 2025.
The White Lotus, meanwhile, is looking at a return sometime next year, with Orsi saying HBO is “very fortunate to be in business with” with show’s creator Mike White. Addressing the just-aired series finale of Succession, Orsi said that while there’s been talk of continuing the show in some form, “there is no intention of spinning any one character off.”
Meanwhile, speaking of the imminent (and controversy-prone) The Idol, Orsi described the series, co-created by The Weeknd and Sam Levinson, as “a really exciting show, an incredibly beautiful, sexy show.”