<Li> Jump up ^ Martin, George R.R. (2000). "Chapter 28: Sansa". A Storm of Swords . pp. 382--393 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 553 - 89787 - 6 . </Li> <P> Martin told Rolling Stone in 2014 that some early inquiries he received about adapting A Song of Ice and Fire suggested identifying the story's "important character" and focusing on that individual plot line: Jon and Daenerys Targaryen being the two most popular choices . Martin was not interested in sacrificing so much of the overall story . When the pilot for the HBO adaptation went into production years later, one of the first parts cast was Jon, with Kit Harington announced in the role in July 2009 . Alfie Allen and Iwan Rheon had also auditioned for the role, and were brought into the show to play Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow instead, respectively . In October 2014, Harington and several other key cast members, all contracted for six seasons of the series, renegotiated their deals to include a potential seventh season and salary increases for seasons five, six, and seven . The Hollywood Reporter called the raises "huge", noting that the deal would make the performers "among the highest - paid actors on cable TV". Deadline.com put the number for season five at "close to $300,000 an episode" for each actor, and The Hollywood Reporter wrote in June 2016 that the performers would each be paid "upward of $500,000 per episode" for seasons seven and the potential eight . In 2017, Harington became one of the highest paid actors on television and will earn £ 2 million per episode for the show . </P> <P> As the series premiered, TV Guide called Harington a "soulful heartthrob" whose Jon is idolized by his younger siblings and who "seeks purpose" by joining the Night's Watch . Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss later noted that Jon "tries to live with honor, while knowing that honor often gets his family members murdered". They explained that he is one of several characters in the series who must "face hard truths about the world they live in, and adapt themselves to those truths . The struggle many of them face is how to do that without losing their grip on who they are ." Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in 2013 that while Jon and Daenerys' storylines in season 1 and season 2 "felt very separate" from the rest of the series' plot, for the first time in season 3, "Jon's entire situation felt incorporated into the larger picture ." Fowler also added that Jon's "oath - breaking romance with Ygritte added a lot of heat to the story". In May 2015, International Business Times called Jon "clearly the most popular character" of the series . </P> <P> In a 2015 interview Benioff said, "The problem with Jon is, he's not a cautious man . It's the problem with him, and also the reason we love him . He is a hero, but heroes are inherently incautious ." Weiss added, "At the end of the day, Jon is his father's son, he's a person who's honorable to a fault and does the right thing even when the right thing is extremely dangerous to him personally ." In the June 2015 season 5 finale "Mother's Mercy", Jon is stabbed to death by Alliser Thorne and several men of the Night's Watch after being labeled a traitor . With Martin's 2011 novel A Dance with Dragons vague on Jon's fate, Harington confirmed the character's death in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying "I've been told I'm dead . I'm dead . I'm not coming back next season ." He added, "I loved how they brought (the orphan boy) Olly in to be the person who kills me . I love how the storyline with Thorne was wrapped up ." Benioff also said of the episode: </P>

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