Will Arya Stark Return? Maisie Williams Reveals What It Would Take Amid 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff Rumours

Will fans see Arya Stark discover what lies West of Westeros? Since the 'Game of Thrones' finale aired in May 2019, discussions about Arya's adventures West of Westeros have been among the favourite fan-theorised sequel ideas.

But Casey Bloys, now chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max, was adamant that it wasn't going to happen in 2019: 'Nope, nope, nope. Part of it is, I do want this show—this Game of Thrones, Dan and David's show—to be its own thing.'

Spinoff Rumour Won't Die Down

Years later, the proposed series is still in people's minds and now, Maisie Williams, the actress behind the iconic character, is speaking out. 'I saw that, too! I was like, huh?' Williams, 29, said.

'I don't know, really,' Williams said about the rumoured spinoff and whether she would be interested about grabbing Needle again. '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 grown-up.'

She was cast as Arya Stark when she was 12 years old. She was 14 when the show premiered in 2011 and 22 when the finale aired.

In explaining why an Arya Stark spinoff is not in the works, Bloys said: 'George has a massive, massive world; there are so many ways in. That's why we're trying to do things that feel distinct—and to not try and re-do the same show. That's probably one of the reasons why, right now, a sequel or picking up any of the other characters doesn't make sense for us.'

George R.R. Martin, however, hinted at a potential project involving Williams in 2024. Martin is the author of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' books that were the basis for 'Game of Thrones.'

Pizza and Pasta With GRRM

In his blog called 'Not a Blog,' Martin wrote on 10 November 2024 that he met with Williams. 'We also got together with Maisie Williams for pizza and pasta, and talked about... Well, no, better not get into that; do not want to jinx it. But it could be so much fun.'

An HBO insider told The Hollywood Reporter: 'We are very interested and excited by the prospect of a sequel, but also keenly aware of how high the bar of execution needs to be.'

Williams admitted she felt lost in her 20s when she said goodbye to Arya Stark. 'The first half of my 20s was just hell, but I think maybe it is for a lot of people,' said Williams.

'I think that has more to do with the fact that "Game of Thrones" was ending, and I didn't know what I was going to do next, and I just needed a break, to be honest with you. And then it also has to do with delayed teenage awkward years and figuring a lot of things out that I felt like maybe I couldn't do much earlier than that,' she also said.

Williams has been working non-stop since the end of 'Game of Thrones.' She stars in the highly anticipated sequel, 'Practical Magic 2,' which is arguably her biggest project since. She stars alongside two of the biggest actresses in Hollywood, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.