Game of Thrones: HBO Exec Shoots Down Arya Spin-Off Idea

In the Game of Thrones series finale, the Stark children became the true victors of the series and went their separate ways. Bran was proclaimed King of Westeros, Sansa declared first Queen in the North, Jon Snow went back beyond the wall, and Arya took off ina ship sailing west of Westeros in hopes of discovering what lies ahead in the unknown. This left some wondering and hopeful that one of the shows HBO has in-development is an Arya spin-off.

In an interview with Deadline, HBO programming president Casey Bloys revealed that they are not planning to develop any Game of Thrones sequels.

“I understand where that comes from, I totally get it. But in terms of wanting to be careful not overdoing it or not killing the goose that lays the golden egg, Dan and David’s show as it stands in eight seasons, I want to leave it as it’s own work of art and not have shows directly, having Arya do that.” Bloys said. “I think it’s best to try the prequels in other areas of George’s massive universe — just feels like the right thing to do, let the show stand on its own.”

When asked about the possible timeline and status of the upcoming prequel pilot, he answered “I think this is the last thing you want to do with any show — prequel or not — you try not to rush it. So the last thing I want to do is put that sort of pressure on the prequel because George [R.R. Martin] has created this massive universe. It is within that universe, but Jane [Goldman] has created a different show — it’s not the same show, it’s not the same characters, it’s not the same time frame, it’s not the same dynamic. It’s a tough line to walk, but you want to do a show that is of that world but not a replica.”

“I think [Goldman] has done a great job on the script and SJ Clarkson, the director, is prepping an amazing pilot. We are going to do that pilot and take our time and do it right. Hopefully, I expect we will love it and we will move forward, but I don’t want anything that happened with this final season to dictate anything that is happening in that process.”

“The casting was completed a couple of weeks ago. They are busy in Belfast prepping and getting ready to start shooting in a couple of weeks.”

Based on the popular book series A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin, the Emmy-winning fantasy series chronicld an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent kingdom. The series starred Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.