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After suffering the embarrassment of a ‘remake Game of Thrones season eight with competent writers’ petition attracting 1.8 million signatures, HBO is no doubt hoping to wipe the slate clean and undo some of the damage of the final season. 

There’s currently only one Thrones spin-off being released this year – House of the Dragon – and a few other GoT spin-offs are rumoured to be at some stage of development at HBO including ‘The Sea Snake’ and ‘10,000 Ships’. 

HBO’s Kara Buckley has previously spoken about the network’s vision for working on additional Thrones programming and revealed that the network “developed a lot of ideas”.

The network will have to tread carefully when developing new stories, fans have been burnt before and might not be so quick to forgive and forget.

Hell hath no fury like fantasy series fans who feel they were robbed of a decent finale. Luckily the show still has some goodwill to work with and not all Thrones fanatics are bitter. 

“I believe Game of Thrones can deliver beyond the final season because of the opportunity these spin-offs can bring,” says publicist and Movie News Net writer David Triana.

“While we’re already going to get a continuation of Jon Snow’s story, as well as a prequel series revolving around the Targaryens, I think continuing to branch out will further enrich this world by introducing new characters along the way,” he adds. 

Not everyone is quite so sold on the idea of GOT spin-offs though, with many fans taking to social media to share their scepticism of the Jon Snow sequel. 

On Twitter, @Direwolf_Dragon said: “Jon’s story ended with him being free like he always wanted, I don’t want to see him battling a different enemy every week with no real story. As cliche as it is, I believe the only way it works is if you resurrect Dany as it adds some real meat to the bones.”

The return of Kit Harrington as Jon Snow could see other surviving characters pulled back into the seven kingdoms, including Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). According to early reports, some cast members are keen to reprise their roles and others seem happy to see the back of the epic fantasy series.

Curious to see what characters fans would like to see return, I ran a Twitter poll featuring some of the more popular cast members, to get a quick indication of who you want to see more of?

Arya Stark was the clear winner, with several fans commenting that they would love to see the surviving Stark back on our screens. 

With a large ensemble cast to choose from, let’s look at some of the top contenders for a spin-off series. 

Arya Stark

The last time we saw the youngest Stark sister she was setting sail to find out what is west of Westeros. “No one knows,” Arya says in the series finale. “That’s where the maps stop. That’s where I’m going.” 

It seemed like a fitting conclusion to a character who has grown in bravery and grit over eight seasons. From privileged Lord’s daughter to ruthless night king slayer, Arya has shown immense character development. I would love to know what’s next for the littlest assassin as she sets off on a sailing gap year. 

It’s possible we might see Arya in the Jon Snow spin-off, with actress Maisie Williams saying of the upcoming series: “Everything surrounding the story [of GoT] is very exciting. We had such a rich show, and there’s still so much story to tell.” It certainly sounds like Williams might be keen to pick up where Thrones left off. 

Melisandre of Asshai

In her role as unhelpful advisor to Stannis Baratheon, the Red Priestess oozed mystique and her motives were often wildly unclear. She largely seemed to have a penchant for prophecies and burning people alive, in bizarre ritualistic bonfires to appease the ‘lord of light’. 

Melisandre even persuades Stannis to sacrifice his daughter Shireen to the flames to win the war against the Boltons, in a harrowing scene that is pure nightmare fuel. “The night is dark and full of terrors” she warns, blissfully unaware that she is the main harbinger of darkness. 

Despite being pivotal to several of the key plot points, much of her backstory is unknown in the series. A Melisandre spin-off could explore her early years and answer the burning question of how she became the Red Witch we both love and hate. 

Sansa Stark 

Arguably Sansa had the best character development of all the Stark children.

Her story arc sees the shallow teen develop aspirations beyond being an obliging lady in waiting. Her traumatic journey over eight seasons ultimately finished with her becoming Queen of the North, playing the Game of Thrones like a pro. 

She manages to survive so many horrors in her young life including the death of her father, the massacre that killed her mother and brother at the Red Wedding and the unspeakable cruelties of Ramsay Bolton, and still emerges with quiet dignity and resolve. 

“I am Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home, and you can’t frighten me,” she icily informs Myranda while naked in the bath. 

A Sansa spin-off could show us how she navigates her new life as queen. Would new alliances be forged, battles fought, and rebellions quashed?

There would certainly be a lot of material to work with as the North is often full of surprises. 

Tyrion Lannister 

Everyone’s favourite wine-swilling Lannister would surely be a top pick for a new series. Tyrion often had the best lines in the show and fans would likely be keen for more quotable quips like: “That’s what I do. I drink and I know things.”

We last saw Tyrion negotiating a pardon after he talks Jon Snow into murdering his girlfriend/Aunt Daenerys, all in the name of democracy.

The master manipulator not only escapes death for his disloyalty, but he also manages to talk everyone into binning off the iron throne and setting up a Westeros government run by Bran. 

HBO could go either way on a Tyrion series, we could see his difficult early years, or we could surge forward in the timeline and see how his makeshift council pans out and if he drinks the budget dry. 

Jaqen H’ghar 

Like Melisandre, much is unknown about the Faceless Man of Braavos, even ‘Jaqen’ is an alias.

Through his time with Arya Stark, we learn that he is part of a mysterious group of assassins who disguise themselves while they go about their daily business of rampant homicide, with scant explanation given to how they do this.

Aside from worshipping the Many-Faced God of death, the motives of the murder club aren’t crystal clear.

What exactly do they want? More money? Power? A members’ only bar? A spin-off could go some way to answer these questions and develop Jaqen’s elusive character.

Jaqen is played by Tom Wlaschiha, who is currently enjoying huge popularity thanks to his turn as Dimtri in Stranger Things Season 4.

Could HBO capitalise on his success and develop a new spin-off starring Wlaschiha?

The Hound

We last see the Hound in a brutal head-to-head fight with his brother The Mountain, a.k.a. Gregor Clegane, as they tumble off a ledge towards their fiery deaths.

Whilst it’s not totally conclusive that the Hound is dead, producers might be better off going with a prequel, rather than trying to resurrect old grumpy chops.

A prequel could also delve into the Hound’s early years and how he became such a complicated character. In the Game of Thrones series, he is deeply flawed but also capable of small moments of compassion and making amends.

We know his childhood trauma of being burned by his brother still haunts him in the Thrones series, so why not take a closer look at a young Hound and his many family dramas? 

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