Emilia Clarke has given her clearest answer yet on whether fans can expect to see her return to the world of Game of Thrones in a future spin-off. While HBO continues to expand the franchise, Clarke has made it clear about her time in fantasy and with dragons.
Emilia Clarke will not do any other fantasy show after Game of Thrones
While promoting her new Peacock espionage series Ponies, Emilia Clarke told The New York Times that she is essentially finished with the fantasy genre after spending nearly a decade on Game of Thrones. The actress played Daenerys Targaryen, also known as the Mother of Dragons, across eight seasons of the HBO series.
“You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again,” Clarke stated. Although her comment addressed fantasy projects in general, it effectively shuts the door on any potential Game of Thrones spin-off appearance, despite HBO’s continued investment in the franchise.
Clarke’s stance comes after an intense and emotionally demanding run on Game of Thrones, where Daenerys’ controversial turn into the Mad Queen dominated the show’s final season. The character’s death became the climax of the series finale, a development that the actor previously admitted came as a shock.
Clarke later acknowledged that it also took time to make peace with the show’s ending. “I really have. I really, really, really have,” she told The Hollywood Reporter when asked if she had moved on from the series.
While Clarke has closed the door on returning, HBO continues to move ahead with expanding the Game of Thrones universe. The network’s third series, set in Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is releasing after the success of House of the Dragon and takes a noticeably different approach from its predecessors.
The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas and follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg. It’s releasing on January 18, 2026.
