Will There Ever Be A Game Of Thrones Season 9?

Will Game of Thrones season 9 ever happen? Should it? It’s a question that, for over five years, has been fascinating, and yet an idea that’s almost unfathomable. Since Game of Thrones’ ending, HBO has been focused on using Westeros’ past to define the franchise’s future. A spinoff about the Targaryens around 200 years ago here; another about the Targaryens 100 years ago there; a third about the Targaryens 300 years ago thrown in for good measure. Spinoffs about other, non-incestuous families may also be considered, but are not yet guaranteed.

Despite that, the potential for a continuation of the main show, in some way at least, still exists. For a while, it seemed as though this may be Jon Snow’s Game of Thrones spinoff, with Kit Harington previously in talks to return, but the project was shelved when they couldn’t crack the story. That it could have happened, though, shows very little is off the table, especially in a world where IP is the real king, and revivals, reboots, and spinoffs happen all the time. Season 9 would be bigger than any of the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs, but is it likely?

Why Game Of Thrones Ended With Season 8

It Was In Line With David Benioff & D.B. Weiss’ Long-Term Plan

One major point of criticism regarding Game of Thrones season 8 – perhaps the biggest, despite the many controversies – is that it felt rushed and needed more episodes. That is absolutely valid, but this story being around seven seasons, or roughly 70 hours long, had more or less been the plan from the get-go. As far back as 2007, Variety reported the plan was for a season adapting each of the planned seven in total A Song of Ice and Fire novels. In 2014, David Benioff said to EW:

“It feels like this is the midpoint for us. If we’re going to go seven seasons, which is the plan , season 4 is right down the middle, the pivot point. I would say [seven season is] the goal we’ve had from the beginning. It was our unstated goal, because to start on a show and say your goal is seven seasons is the height of lunacy. Once we got to the point where we felt like we’re going to be able to tell this tale to its conclusion, that became [an even clearer] goal. Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us.”

Of course, over time, that plan shifted – by 2016, heading into season 6, it had changed to be eight seasons, but with the final two set to be shorter in terms of episode count. The sheer scale of production played a part in that, since it was taking longer and longer to make as the show increased the on-screen spectacle. Certainly, there was no question of the show being canceled (it was and remains a behemoth in terms of viewing figures) but, rightly or wrongly, ending at that point was how the showrunners wanted to conclude the story.

What Game Of Thrones’ Cast Have Said About Game Of Thrones Season 9

Some Key Actors Are At Least Open To A Return

The biggest hurdle to Game of Thrones season 9 happening isn’t really one to do with story or even budget: a plot could likely be found, given plenty of major characters are alive, and HBO would surely give anything to have the series return. But it would almost certainly depend on the involvement of Game of Thrones‘ cast and, most likely, showrunners Benioff and D.B. Weiss, which is where things could get more complicated. The actors have largely moved on, though some keep an open mind about a return.

Harington was interested in a return as Jon Snow with the right story, given he entertained the idea of a spinoff. That, however, would likely have been on a smaller scale than another season of the main show. Harington has discussed Game of Thrones‘ ending and the issues therein, and expressed a feeling of exhaustion by the end. He said:

“I think if there was any fault with the end of Thrones, is that we were all so f**king tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer. And so I understand some people thought it was rushed, and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative. I look at pictures of me in that final season and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me.”

Sophie Turner, who played Sansa throughout the show’s eight-season run, has also discussed a possible return to Westeros. Turner commented on Game of Thrones season 9, revealing there was one condition for it to happen (which also makes it unlikely).

“Maybe. I mean, it would have to be the exact same cast and the exact same crew otherwise I wouldn’t go back and that would just be season 9, and I don’t think we’re going to do a season 9, but, I mean, I loved playing Sansa, and I do wonder often what would she be doing now. Where would she be five years later, what would she be doing? Would she still be queen in the North? Would she be a good ruler? Would there be some other kind of terrible war that’s happened? I’d love to see it.”

Similarly, Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark, has also spoken positively about it, telling StyleCaster: “Absolutely [I would return]. It’s such a rich universe. One day I would love to.”

Of course, there’s a big difference between actors being interested, and then actually bringing it all together with salaries, schedules, and everything else. But a bigger sticking point may be Benioff and Weiss, who received the brunt of the criticism and backlash for season 8, and who even turned down producer credits on future Game of Thrones spinoffs [via THR] because they weren’t directly involved. With that, and their overall deal with Netflix (which led to 3 Body Problem), it’s harder to imagine them going back, though stranger things have happened.

George R.R. Martin Wanted More Seasons Of Game Of Thrones

The Author Believed It Could’ve Had 13 Seasons

Another key voice when it comes to HBO’s expanding Game of Thrones franchise is George R.R. Martin, whose works are continually being explored for new spinoff potential. Martin has been quite open about his wishes for the show to run longer in various interviews over the years, even saying Game of Thrones needed 13 seasons to be totally faithful to his books:

“The [final] series has been… not completely faithful. Otherwise, it would have to run another five seasons.”

That said, Game of Thrones season 9 would not be adapting Martin’s works in any way. Season 8 itself was long beyond where the books currently are, but had some guidance from the author in terms of where they’d end up. In contrast, season 9 would be pure invention, presumably after where he intends to finish things with his planned seventh book, A Dream of Spring, although the wait for The Winds of Winter‘s release is also ongoing.

What Would Game Of Thrones Season 9’s Story Be?

There Is Some Potential, Though The Right Story Would Be Hard

Game of Thrones season 8 was divisive, but it was a proper conclusion in terms of truly ending character arcs, with Jon Snow back beyond the Wall, Sansa as Queen in the North, Arya sailing to find what’s West of Westeros, and Bran Stark as the new king, with Tyrion Lannister serving as Hand. If season 9 were to happen, then presumably they would make up the four main story strands for the show to be broken up into, similar to how the series was always spread across multiple locations and sets of characters.

It would, given the passage of time in the real world, likely need a time jump, but that itself may not be a negative, allowing for new characters to come into play and new threats or conflicts to emerge. Still, they would broadly allow for an outline of its narrative, continuing to follow Arya’s discovery of new worlds, how Sansa and Bran fare as rulers, and perhaps Jon still dealing with his trauma in the far North.

There would also be a temptation to find reasons to bring those characters back together. Reuniting the Starks may not be too much trouble: Arya presumably returns home at some point, after all, as a starting point there. Much of Game of Thrones was about family and political drama, and so finding new layers and conflicts wouldn’t be impossible. Finding a story that lived up to what came before, on the other hand, would be a daunting task for any writer, especially needing to balance “fixing” season 8 with not tarnishing its overall reputation.

Game Of Thrones Season 9 Is Very Unlikely To Happen

Never Say Never In The World Of Television

Ultimately, Game of Thrones season 9 is highly unlikely right now. HBO has enough potential options for Game of Thrones spinoffs to keep it busy for another decade at least, and there are plenty more stories and ideas from Martin’s world that the network seemingly hasn’t even started to explore.

At the same time, one should never say never, especially when it comes to the world of movie and TV revivals. Game of Thrones season 9 would definitely be surprising, and need a lot of moving parts all to come together at the right time, with no apparent plans for anything like that to happen, but it could also never be 100% ruled out.