Arya Stark sailing west of Westeros felt like the perfect doorway into another Game of Thrones adventure. Naturally, fans have wondered if Maisie Williams might eventually pick up Needle again and find out exactly what’s waiting beyond the edge of the known world.
Rumors of an Arya Stark spinoff have recently made the rounds online, and Williams has now addressed them. Unfortunately for anyone hoping HBO already has a secret Arya series cooking, it sounds like the actress knows about as much as the fans do.
While speaking with The Guardian about her upcoming film Practical Magic 2, Williams was asked about the speculation surrounding her potential return to Westeros. Her reaction makes it pretty clear that the rumors caught her attention too:
“I saw that, too! I was like, huh? I don’t know, really. She would have to be developed in some way because I feel like I’ve changed so much, and I feel like what people loved about Arya is that she was always a child doing things that were quite grownup.”
Williams makes an interesting point about what made Arya such a memorable character in Game of Thrones. We watched her grow up over the show’s eight seasons, but much of her appeal came from seeing this young girl survive an increasingly brutal world.
Arya went from a rebellious kid who wanted nothing to do with becoming a traditional lady of Winterfell to a trained assassin with a kill list and enough combat experience to take down the Night King. Her age contrasted with the violence, revenge, and trauma surrounding her story.
Williams has grown up too, and at 29, returning to Arya would require finding a new version of the character rather than simply trying to recreate what worked before. Based on her comments, there also doesn’t appear to be an Arya Stark spinoff currently waiting for her to sign on.
The Game of Thrones finale sent Arya into largely unexplored territory when she decided to sail west of Westeros. Fans know very little about what exists out there, which gives a potential sequel series freedom to explore something genuinely new without being tied to another fight for the Iron Throne.
HBO has already expanded George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe with House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, while other planned projects haven’t made it nearly as far.
The proposed Jon Snow sequel series is dead, while the Bloodmoon prequel starring Naomi Watts actually filmed a pilot before HBO decided not to move forward with it.
An Arya series would also offer a story set after Game of Thrones. Rather than heading further into the history books, the franchise could finally show us what happened next. Arya exploring unknown lands aboard a ship could make for a cool adventure series, especially if it introduced cultures, creatures, and threats we haven’t already seen.
Williams doesn’t sound opposed to playing Arya again, but she clearly believes the character would need to evolve with her.
If HBO ever does come calling, the more interesting question isn’t whether Williams can play Arya Stark again. It’s who Arya has become after sailing beyond everything she knows.
Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are currently streaming on HBO Max.
