Weiss and Benioff were planning to dig into where the Jedi came from. It makes sense that, in the aftermath of “Game of Thrones,” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would be hugely desired creators. In the last two years, they’ve been attached to a massive Netflix deal and a new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. We found out Monday, though, that their trilogy was as dead as a door nail. Instead, they would focus on projects related to their new deal with Netflix. Other than a short statement explaining their limited bandwidth, there’s almost no information about the reasons for the move.
There is one interesting tidbit, though, and it has to do with what Benioff and Weiss were apparently going to focus on in their new trilogy. According to Variety, the duo was planning to dig into the origins of the Jedi Order. They were actively working on treatments for the films, and had planned to handle the script-writing for at least one of the films. Eventually, the relationship between Weiss and Benioff and Disney curdled, which is what led the two of them to step away.
It’s impossible to say exactly what the two of them had planned for their trilogy past that initial idea. Now that they’ve backed out of the trilogy, it’s likely we’ll never know.
Between this announcement and the knowledge that Skywalker saga is set to end with “The Rise of Skywalker,” the future of “Star Wars” is suddenly very uncertain. Rian Johnson, the director behind the divisive “The Last Jedi” is still signed on for a trilogy of films, but they aren’t in production at the moment. We also have “The Mandalorian,” which will be hitting Disney+ when the service launches next month. Past that, though, what’s next for “Star Wars” is more unclear than it’s been in years.
As for Weiss and Benioff, they’re not likely to disappear. However you feel about their work on “Game of Thrones,” they turned the show into a huge hit, which means studios see potential money in working with them. Whether those studio bets pay off is another question entirely, one that only time will be able to answer.
How do you feel about Benioff and Weiss leaving “Star Wars”? Let us know in the comments.
Joe Allen is a freelance pop culture writer based out of upstate New York. Follow him on Twitter.