Our Watch Begins Again: HBO Is Developing a 'Game of Thrones' Sequel Series About Jon Snow

“You know nothing about HBO’s post-Game of Thrones plans,” begins longtime Game of Thrones reporter James Hibberd, before dropping a Westerosi bombshell:

Per The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has entered into early development on its first Game of Thrones sequel series. This new spinoff will be a live-action series centered around Jon Snow, with Kit Harington attached to reprise his iconic Thrones role should HBO decide to move forward.

When last we saw Jon, he had gone into exile with the Night’s Watch after the fateful journey south that resulted in him tragically killing Daenerys Targaryen, and was last seen riding with wildings north of the Wall. Over the course of the series, he was a bastard recruit of the Night’s Watch, a commander, a king, and a warrior who united disparate peoples to fight off the army of the dead. His was one of the most incredible journeys in all of Game of Thrones … but what happened to him after he went beyond the Wall? Did he join the wildlings to live in peace? Was he just escorting them north before returning to Castle Black? Or will he return to Westeros as Aegon Targaryen, last of his bloodline?

The Future of Game of Thrones

It’s no secret that HBO has a lot of Game of Thrones projects in various stages of development, which makes it all the more impressive that this series wasn’t even rumored before this point. The first Game of Thrones successor show, House of the Dragon, is due out this August. It’s a prequel that covers the brutal Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which took place some 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Beyond that, there’s 10,000 Ships, a series about the warrior queen Nymeria; 9 Voyages (or Sea Snake), which details the early adventures of the famed mariner Coryls Velaryon; and a Dunk and Egg series which would adapt George R.R. Martin’s beloved novellas about Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg. HBO also reportedly has three animated series in development, including one about Yi Ti called The Golden Empire.

The announcement of this Jon Snow sequel series is the first time HBO has shown a willingness to go beyond the story established in Game of Thrones. If it actually gets made, and succeeds, who knows where it may lead—these are uncharted wilds as untamed as the tundra far beyond the Wall.

For today, all we know is that Kit Harington may be returning as Jon Snow, and HBO is poised to develop the first sequel to one of the greatest fantasy television sagas of all time.