Game of Thrones is coming back. Well, it kind of never went away but it's coming back with a new HBO Max series that will serve as a sequel to the global fantasy drama phenomenon and feature a fan-favourite character, just not the one I'm looking for.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Kit Harrington is set to reprise his role as Jon "You know nothing" Snow in a new live-action spinoff. Who saw this coming? Not me. Harrington has certainly not disappeared from the world of Entertainment – most notably appearing in Marvel's Eternals as Dane Whitman and in a production of Henry V at the National Theater.
Clearly, something has drawn him back, however. It's just out of all the characters to base a Game of Thrones spinoff around, Jon Snow isn't the most interesting of the bunch. Don't get me wrong: I like the character. I like Kit Harrington but let's be honest, there are a dozen more faces that would make a show far more compelling.
So let's look to the land of Westeros as to who is alive, who exactly should get their own show and why it should be picked up from HBO Max.
Ser Bronn of the Blackwater
Never have I seen a character done so dirty than Bronn of the Blackwater... okay maybe Jaimie Lannister. And Cersei. Daenerys Targaryan too. Brienne of Tarth is another. Oh, there's the Night King as well. Anyway, my point is that Bronn (played by Jerome Flynn) was hands down my favourite character throughout the earlier seasons.
Then in Season 8, he's absent for most of it – not even bothering to turn up for the Battle of Winterfell or battle of King's Landing. Just appears in the finale to claim Lord of Highgarden and Master of Coin. That's very Bron to be fair. Still, we needed more and a series devoted to the sellsword, learning more about his backstory and getting up to all kinds of debauchery has the makings of a good time.
Arya Stark
On the other hand, how about getting as far away from Westeros as physically possible? During the final few moments of Game of Thrones, Arya Stark set sail to explore the uncharted Sunset Sea, looking to leave the tragedy of her family behind. Now doesn't this seem like a better premise? Played by Maisie Williams, Arya was one of the best characters in Game of Thrones, being one of the very few to get a decent arc come the final credits. Let's build on that while visiting new lands.
Tyrion Lannister
The fan favourite: Tyrion Lannister. This one seems an easy win yet will be completely down to whether Peter Dinklage is willing to return, as the actor is certainly not short of work, appearing Avengers: Infinity War, I Care a Lot and more recently headling Cyrano. The issue here is that we last saw Tyrion being appointed as the Hand of the King, serving Bran the boring, I mean Broken.
There's potentially something there with the everyday workings of King's Landing, which may even see the youngest Lannister venture to one of the six kingdoms. Maybe a second chance for love? I'm still not over Shae. Either way, it would be great to get more from Tyrion and wash away the horrible aftertaste the series finale left.
Bonus: Ser Brienne of Tarth
At the conclusion of Game of Thrones, Brienne of Tarth was left as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a somewhat logical endpoint. It has to be said though, following the dismal handling of Brienne and Jaimie Lannister's relationship that resulted in a one-night fling, the character deserves better. I could imagine a spinoff where Brienne is sick of being in King's Landing and decides to venture home to Evenfall Hall of House Tarth. As the only sole survivor of the name, this could create an interesting paradigm. Anything has to be more satisfying than what really happened.
Of course, there's already another Game of Thrones show in the works with House of the Dragon starring Matt Smith, set to premiere in August this year. So it seems we won't be short of Game of Thrones series anytime soon, for better or worse.
