While Ned Stark didn’t get as long of a run as some of the rest of the Games of Thrones characters, Sean Bean still had a big impact on the fantasy series. Ned Stark’s death is a catalyst for much of what follows, especially for his children Robb (Richard Madden), Arya (Maisie Williams), Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Sansa (Sophie Turner), and Jon Snow (Kit Harington).
Bean was asked by Screen Rant about a potential return to the world of Game of Thrones, despite suffering from an unfortunate case of being dead; “I don’t know if he [Ned Stark] would ever be incorporated again. I’m not that clued up about the following [House of the Dragon], I’ve heard it’s really good, I’m going to try to see that [at some point].”
“But yeah, it’s always nice to think that you could be involved in some way in such a great series, something that became worldwide. I don’t think at the time, we knew with The Lord of the Rings, how big that was going to turn out, and it was the same with Game of Thrones. If I’m ever asked again, it would be nice to be involved in some way.” A Jon Snow spin-off is in the works, so you never know who might come back.
Sean Bean is never going to shake his reputation as Hollywood’s dying man, as he’s had so many memorable onscreen deaths. Bean has slowed down somewhat on the dying front in the last decade or so, but he certainly came close in 2020’s horror movie Possessor. He will next be seen in fantasy movie Knights of the Zodiac, which is an adaptation of the anime series.
Filming has begun on House of the Dragon season 2, but it could still be affected by the writer’s strike, as the writers are usually present on the sets of television series, making changes and answering questions. In television, it is the writers who are the showrunners, not the directors.
Check out our guide to the best fantasy series.