Warning: spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon.
New Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon might have only just begun, but it’s already left fans pondering how it could lead into another highly-anticipated spin-off.
At the end of the original show’s divisive eighth season, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) headed to the north after killing his lover Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) following her rampage in King’s Landing.
While it seemed at the time as though that marked the end of Jon’s story, it recently emerged that the Eternals actor had put forward an idea for a sequel series, which would see him lead the cast in a new tale following the widely-beloved character.
Even though House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of GOT, there have been important references to the ‘prince that was promised’ prophecy, which some think could tie into the show about Jon.
How could House of the Dragon be setting up Game of Thrones spin-off about Jon Snow?
While details are scarce about the Jon Snow series, there have already been various hints in House of the Dragon that fans have speculated could be pointing towards the plot of the Kit-lead spin-off.
While watching Game of Thrones, viewers became aware of a prophecy about ‘the prince that was promised’, which many assumed was a role that Jon would fulfil.
As explained to the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) in House of the Dragon by her father, King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), the prophecy came from a dream their ancestor King Aegon I Targaryen had many years ago.
The prophecy was that an endless winter from the North would threaten the world of men, with the only way of putting a stop to it being for a Targaryen to be sat on the Iron Throne, the ‘prince that was promised’… although the gender-neutral word for ‘prince’ in Valyrian means it could have also been in reference to a ‘princess’.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, a prophesied individual was mentioned who was believed would be a reincarnation of the warrior Azor Ahai, who was believed would be hailed as the saviour of the world.
In a recent trailer for House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra is seen reciting a line from the prophecy, which reads: ‘From my blood come the prince that was promised and his will be the song of ice and fire.’
During Game of Thrones, the stipulations of the prophecy prompted many to assume it was about Jon, given he turned out to be the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, the personification of a union of ice and fire.
However, the identity of the ‘prince that was promised’ wasn’t actually confirmed by the end of Game of Thrones, which is why some believe the question may finally be answered in a Jon Snow spin-off.
‘Okay so Aegon dreamed about it. In the Jon Snow spin-off he’s finally fighting for his birthright? Damn time,’ one fan wondered on Twitter.
‘My current #HouseoftheDragon theory is that the Ice & Fire prophecy appears to be about the GoT… but is really set-up for the Jon Snow sequel. Daenerys was not on the throne and the promised prince didn’t defeat the Night King; maybe that means the Long Night has yet to come?’ another speculated.
What else is known about the Jon Snow sequel series?
Little is known about the Jon Snow spin-off… but there are a few key pieces of information that fans do have.
First of all, the show is going to be a sequel series, meaning that it’s expected to take place after the events of Game of Thrones, which saw Jon ride off to the north with Ghost and the wildlings in the season eight finale.
Therefore, unless the show is simply going to show Jon living his best life in the freezing north, we have a feeling his time in the heart of Westeros might not be completely over just yet.
The project was actually Kit’s idea, with the actor even bringing in his own team of writers and showrunners, A Song of Ice and Fire author George RR Martin revealed in June this year.
The writer emphasised that ‘nothing has been green lit yet’, while referring to the Jon spin-off and the other GOT-related productions that are in development, including The Sea Snake and 10,000 Ships.
‘The likelihood of all four series getting on the air… well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually,’ he added at the time.
Emilia Clarke also revealed in an interview: ‘He has told me about it. And I know it exists. It’s happening. It’s been created by Kit as far as I can understand, so he’s in it from the ground up.’
House of the Dragon next airs from Monday at 2am on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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