Entertainment
With Season 8 of Game of Thrones as far away as the Wall is from Dorne, it's time fans of the HBO series turned their attention to something else. Specifically, the spinoff. There are some GoT characters who are totally likely to be the stars of the spinoff. It's just a matter of identifying them.
The GoT characters likeliest to make the spinoff have to meet a lot of qualifications. First, they'll need to survive Game of Thrones Season 8. That might prove the most challenging of all. Not only will they need to survive the forthcoming war, but they'll also require an unresolved story line. Game of Thrones wouldn't tie a neat little bow onto a character arc, only to undo it again for an all-new series, right? Also, the creators won't confirm if the show is a prequel to the events of Game of Thrones, but they insist that Robert's Rebellion is not the subject of the spinoff.
So, considering which actors have confirmed they aren't returning for a Game of Thrones spinoff, which ones have died on screen, and which remaining characters have enough "oomph" to build new stories around, these are the 7 Game of Thrones characters who might actually make it to the spinoff.
1
The Brotherhood Without Banners
Wishful thinking, perhaps, but not out of the question. This would all depend on who survives Game of Thrones Season 8 — heck, who survived the Season 7 finale, once Ice Viserion wrecked the Wall — and how much religion plays into the upcoming season. If The Red Woman foresaw her own death, she may not be long for the series, but fans know by now that she's just one of many red priestesses. Even if she is the freakiest. Why wouldn't Game of Thrones spinoff into a tale about a ragtag bunch of foxy marauders, roaming the New World, getting drunk, and doing weird stuff with fire along the way?
2
Samwell Tarly
If anyone deserves a spinoff, it's Samwell Tarly. Even if it's just to apologize for that eye-poppingly gross montage from the Season 7 premiere. You know the one. You know it. The chance to follow Sam's journey in and out of Maesterdom would be something else. Also, he deserves to settle down. He's earned a life of happiness with Gilly and Baby Sam. Oh, and he is the rightful heir to his house's fortune now. Considering Daenerys burned his father and brother alive and all.
3
Targaryen Ancestors
How did it come to pass that only one (okay, two) Targaryens remain out of a dynasty that once conquered the whole of Westeros? If Game of Thrones explores the Doom of Valyria, fans may be able to find out. If the spinoff focuses on the legendary Dance of the Dragons, which was essentially a civil war between feuding Targaryen families, that would clue people in even more. Both of these are possibilities, as they further round out the world of Westeros and have actual source material to draw from. (See: Martin's upcoming Fire and Blood, which the author states will be the first half of the Targaryen family history.)
4
Nymeria
If HBO makes the Game of Thrones spinoff a full-on, next-generation-style series, the least they could offer fans is a glimpse of Nymeria. She's big and spooky and leading a pack of feral wolves around the wetlands these days, and it would be the best Easter egg ever to just see her skulking around in the woods — or better yet, scaring the bejesus out of an enemy. Or Arya's enemies.
5
Bran Stark
The character formerly known as Bran Stark has a lot going on these days. He is the Three-Eyed Raven, but he was unprepared to become it. He's a greenseer and a warg. He's also really irritating to his siblings, but that's an occupational hazard of becoming a mystical all-knowing being seemingly overnight.
There are a lot of ways Bran could be incorporated into a Game of Thrones spinoff, since his powers are so vast — and so unknowable. Will he travel back through time to prevent the creation of the white walkers? Is he the original Bran the Builder? It all depends on how sci-fi the fantasy series is willing to go.
6
The Night King
This one is a big maybe. If the show runners decide to go with an extreme prequel, one that expands on the creation of the white walkers by the Children of the Forest, though, it could happen. After all, how did the Night King become the person he is? Who was he before, if anyone? There are a lot of unanswered questions there. Further, rumors of a time travel scenario wherein Bran Stark actually becomes The Night King in Season 8 have flown around for a while. It'd be wild, but it could happen.
7
Ned Stark
A promise to not do Robert's Rebellion? The producers doth protest too much. It's too juicy not to cover! There's enough meat to build an entire series out of, even if fans know the inevitable conclusion. It will also capture interest for longtime fans of the show. It's just similar enough to be intriguing, and offers the chance to bring back dozens of characters — alive or otherwise — in their purest forms. That means more of how Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark come to fall in love, more of young, foxy Jaime Lannister, Littlefinger's seduction of Lysa, and more. It's the ideal way to bridge the gap between Game of Thrones and what comes next. After all, it's not like George R. R. Martin will have a lot of new material for the showrunners. Just do it, fam. Give audiences the Ned Stark they deserve.
Until HBO reveals the plot of the Game of Thrones spinoff, fans can't say for sure who might star in it. There's no timeline in place for the casting, let alone an announcement of what type of people they're looking for. Without a Season 8 on the books, it's all just a big guessing game. One can only hope the news is "It's just more Game of Thrones"-level good and not "It's the ghost of Littlefinger being terrible all around the world!"-level bad. (To be clear, neither of those scenarios are happening.) Anyway, all anyone wants is a never-ending Arya Murder Hour, so HBO: Just give the fans what they want already. Valar Morghulis.
