Shortly after its premiere, Game of Thrones joined the ranks of HBO shows that got the world talking. The book to screen adaptation became quintessential water cooler talk, and is still re-watched for those with a HBO Max subscription. Sophie Turner grew up before our eyes while portraying Sansa Stark, and recently got honest about the idea of reprising that role sometime in the future. And she makes some great points.
Years later, the Game of Thrones finale is still divisive, with plenty of fans dissatisfied with how things ended. But we've returned to Westeros with the prequel House of the Dragon, and the upcoming series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. In an interview with The Direct, Turner was asked if she'd play the Queen in The North again, responding cheekily with:
Show me the money (laughs).
Ok, Jerry Maguire. Returning to Westeros would be a big deal, but Turner is right in saying it would likely be a big paycheck. The show was wildly expensive during its run on HBO, and the Game of Thrones cast would likely need to be incentivized with a big paycheck when returning to their roles. And who can blame them?
All jokes aside, the star of the X-Men movies got honest about the possibility of returning to Game of Thrones. She addressed GOT's controversial finale, and the way that Sansa's story was wrapped up. In her words:
I don't know, I think it would be hard but also amazing to come back to it. But I feel that I was very happy with the way Sansa ended her story in Game of Thrones, and no one else was really happy with their ending. I feel like I got a good one, and so I don't know if I could revisit it.
Point were made. While fans weren't happy about Bran becoming King or the fate of Jon Snow and Dany, Sansa's ending was wildly satisfying. She stayed true to her Stark blood, and got to rule The North as its own region independent from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. After seeing the character brutalized and tortured for years, fans loved to see Sansa standing in her power in Winterfell.
Despite this, the cast does seem to have very fond memories of their time in Westeros, with Sophie Turner forming a close relationship with co-stars like Maisie Williams and even adopting he dog from the set. Later in the same interview, she addressed the risk of going back to Game of Thrones, saying:
Maybe it would be an utter joy, or maybe it would be trying to cling on to something that was magic back in the day that can't be recreated. I would have to see a script.
Fair point. The script would likely be the deciding factor for many of the OG stars, before deciding whether or not they'd reprise their roles for more GOT. There are seemingly no plans to bring the flagship series back at this point, with the spinoffs instead getting the focus on HBO. Still, the power of nostalgia makes just about anything possible nowadays.
The Game of Thrones franchise is currently streaming in its entirety on HBO Max. The universe will once again be expanded in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premiers on January 18th as part of the 2026 TV schedule.
