‘Game of Thrones’: Why That Arya Stark Sequel Series Isn’t Likely
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for the series finale of Game of Thrones.]
Though it ended on a polarizing note with its legions of fans, Game of Thrones‘ success is undeniable in the grand landscape of television.
After nearly a decade of top-viewed programming, it wouldn’t be surprising if HBO didn’t want to latch onto the story and characters fans have come to love. As was announced previously, the premium cable service already has three prequel series in the works — two are currently in development while the third is gearing up to shoot a pilot this summer.
The series set to shoot its pilot is set roughly thousands of years prior to the events in Thrones and contains a large cast led by Naomi Watts. But since the finale of Thrones aired May 19, fans have been abuzz about the possibility of a sequel series, specifically one following Arya Stark.
Played by Maisie Williams, Arya was last seen setting off to the great unknown, as she sailed to discover what’s “west of Westeros” in her final scene. It was the most viable plot for a sequel series, but it seems like that won’t happen as HBO’s president of programming Casey Bloys confirmed as much in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
(Credit: HBO)
Part of it may be that the current cast won’t work with anyone but showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff. When Bloys was asked if the cast and HBO would have continued Thrones without them he said, “No. I don’t think any of the actors would have done it. Shows have to come to an end. This was eight seasons, it’s a great epic and shows have to come to a close. It’s part of the TV life cycle.”
When specifically asked about an Arya Stark sequel, Bloys’ answer was clear. “Nope, nope, nope. No. Part of it is, I do want this show — this Game of Thrones, Dan and David’s show — to be its own thing. I don’t want to take characters from this world that they did beautifully and put them off into another world with someone else creating it,” he said candidly.
“I want to let it be the artistic piece they’ve got. That’s one of the reasons why I’m not trying to do the same show over. George has a massive, massive world; there are so many ways in. That’s why we’re trying to do things that feel distinct — and to not try and redo the same show,” Bloys continued. “That’s probably one of the reasons why, right now, a sequel or picking up any of the other characters doesn’t make sense for us.”
While hope does seem lost, it’s hard to tell if it’s a final answer in regards to a Game of Thrones sequel series in general. Considering the ever-changing landscape of television, who’s to say there won’t be something years down the line. Until then, it’s time for fans to take a healthy break from the Starks, Lannisters, and other Westerosi families… for now.
