Benioff, Weiss Won’t Do ‘Star Wars’ Films

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, producing pair behind HBO smash Game of Thrones, have removed themselves from a deal to produce Star Wars films. The first in a trilogy was to premiere in 2022.

Benioff and Weiss inked a deal with Netflix over the summer, valued at $250-$300 million, and that has them busy.

“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,” they said in a statement.

Benioff and Weiss agreed to a deal with The Walt Disney Company early in 2018 to work on Star Wars films. “In the summer of 1977 we traveled to a galaxy far, far away, and we’ve been dreaming of it ever since. We are honored by the opportunity, a little terrified by the responsibility, and so excited to get started as soon as the final season of Game of Thrones is complete,” they said at the time.

Game of Thrones concluded in May. It went for eight seasons, and viewer reaction to the final season was mixed.

The next Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, debuts in December.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.