It’s two steps forward, one step back for the “Star Wars” narrative at Lucasfilm. Following the well-received trailer for the first “Star Wars” live-action series, “The Mandalorian” just a few hours ago, the “Game Of Thrones” series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are exiting the “Star Wars” trilogy they were expected to create and likely write and direct. Their reasoning? Too busy, after signing their crazy multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix.
“We love Star Wars,” the pair said in a statement to Deadline tonight. “When George Lucas built it, he built us too. Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime, and we will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything.”
“There are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects,” the GOT pair continued in their statement. “So we are regretfully stepping away.”
READ MORE: HBO Moves On From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Creators & Kills The Problematic ‘Confederate’
While there’s those looking for conspiracy theories or problems, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy gave a positive statement that didn’t close the door on future collaborations. “David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers. We hope to include them in the journey forward when they are able to step away from their busy schedule to focus on Star Wars.”
READ MORE: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Creators Benioff & Weiss Sign Nine-Figure Exclusive Deal With Netflix
Benioff and Weiss were expected to launch a new “Star Wars” feature film trilogy in 2022. Lucasfilm is rumored to be heading into the past for the next era of “Star Wars” storytelling, and the “Game Of Thrones” duo’s Lucasfilm was said to be said in the age of the Knights Of the Old Republic, hundreds of years before the “Star Wars” you know now.
READ MORE: ‘The Mandalorian’ Trailer: A New Galactic Hunt Begins After The Fall Of The Empire
The news comes just a few days after the “Game Of Thrones” duo have been casually admitting they might have been out of their depth when HBO handed them the keys to the multi-million dollar “Game Of Thrones” series. Still, whatever the case was, or however, inexperienced they claim they were, they clearly created a gigantic hit regardless.
“Star Wars” is coming off a rough patch, the failure of “Solo,” the controversies and fan backlash that marred the success of “The Last Jedi,” and then the pivot away from—some say canceling all plans for spin-off solo movies and instead, reconfiguring them for Disney+ series. “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” a Disney+ series scheduled to shoot in the summer of 2020, seems to be the perfect example as it was initially envisioned as a movie. The mooted “Boba Fett” film that was in development for a few years seems as if it was canceled in favor of “The Mandalorian,” a loosely similar idea now on Disney+ starting November 11.
That said, the post-‘Solo’ era seems to be over, and the excitement for “Mandalorian’ and “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker,” appears to be incredibly high. With Benioff and Weiss out of the picture, that leaves Rian Johnson and Marvel producer Kevin Feige, as the only two filmmakers developing new “Star Wars” feature films, with one exception some have forgotten. Last year, Buzzfeed reported writer/producer Laeta Kalogridis (“Avatar,” “Shutter Island“) was developing a new “Star Wars” trilogy, also about the ‘Knights of The Old Republic’ and while Lucasfilm has never confirmed it, the reporter is a solid veteran and Kalogridis does know her genre and sci-fi and the company is looking for female talent. Could she have been writing/consulting on the “Game of Thrones” guys’ trilogy? Time will tell. More will likely be unveiled tomorrow on the split and if there was indeed drama or problems between the two sides.
