‘Game Of Thrones’ Duo To Pilot New ‘Star Wars' Trilogy

[Deleted]

deadline.com/2018/02/star-wars-trilogy-david-benioff-d-b-weiss-game-of-thrones-duo-1202279600/

s the ninth and final film in the original Star Wars series looms, Disney and Lucasfilm are stepping up big time to continue Hollywood’s most iconic film franchise. They just unveiled that HBO’s Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have been set to write and produce a new series of movies set in the galaxy.

The deal will see the new films as separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, which just bowed Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December, and also separate from the recently announced trilogy being developed by Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson.

Like the Johnson trilogy announced in November, no release dates have been set for the new films. The next movie in the Star Wars franchise is the second stand-alone pic, Solo: A Star Wars Story directed by Ron Howard, which bows May 25.

Star Wars: Episode IX, to be directed by J.J. Abrams, has a December 20, 2019 release date.

On Disney’s first-quarter earnings call after the Benioff-Weiss news went public, chairman and CEO Bob Iger was asked why the pair weren’t doing a Star Wars-centered series (like the one being developed for Disney’s new OTT service). “Their interest was in creating Star Wars films,” Iger responded. “We’ve been talking with them for some time. They didn’t express interest in a series.” He added that the pair was focused on “a particular point in time in the Star Wars franchise” with the new movies.

“David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in making the announcement today on StarWars.com. “Their command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting.”

Said Benioff and Weiss: “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.”

Game of Thrones is now in production on its final season, with six supersized episodes in the works aiming for a 2019 run to wrap its runs. Work also is under way on five proposed GoT prequels of the Emmy-winning fantasy series.

To clarify, this move is supposed to come in addition to the other SW trilogy that Rian Johnson is developing right now.

So, we will be getting at least six Star Wars movies in the 2020s, not counting spin-off stand-alones, and possible sequels to the "main" movie franchise/"The Skywalker Saga".


Personally, while I am not in favor of any sort of "sellout", I think this project in particular might be interesting: The article gives a quote the new movie series as being "focused on a particular point in time in the Star Wars franchise”. I would hope that this is an indicator that we finally get a movie rendition of the eras covered in such iconic publications as "Tales of the Jedi", and the KOTOR video game series. - Of course such movies would ignore the "Legends" canon, of course they would not adapt even the most recent, quite engaging material as presented, but - there is still a lot of potential there, even just using the "new canon".

So... Fingers crossed.

[Finarvyn]

I'd kind of like to see more Darth Vader stuff. A bunch of movies in the era just prior to ANH, where Vader was known as a real bad guy. ANH gives the impression but not the details.

[Falconer]

Well… The part they don’t mention is that the mastermind behind Game of Thrones is actually George R.R. Martin. Where Benioff and Weiss have veered from Martin, or invented their own material, it has generally sucked. So I guess it depends on whether they are writing from scratch (in which case I have no idea what it will be like). If there is any chance they are adapting The Thrawn Trilogy, that might be pretty sweet (though I would prefer it as a TV show).

[makofan]

If it is directed by Rian Johnson, I won't go see it

[Deleted]

I am not going to lie: I am not writing, what, 300 words of the harshest possible dismissal of the latest movie because I am expecting great things from the franchise in the years to come. I also agree with Falconer that the Benioff and Weiss have the strangest love story with modern audiences; sure, they're not bad - but, mainly, they are famous for adapting stuff from other writers, and with very varying degrees of success. Why they are generally regarded as geniuses is - with respect - very strange to me.

Now, what "D&D" apparently are pretty good at is at executive producing, and at creating material that people in the 15-45 demographic sector respond to positively. Also, at least with GRRM, they have shown that they can deal with complex universes - even if that only refers to their apparent openness to read stuff that one may positively assume that other people do not.

So I am cautiously happy about this move by Disney, regardless of what part of the universe "D&D" will deal with; it seems to promise a shift away from pre-teen audiences. As to which era or topic they plan to adapt, the internet seems ablaze with KOTOR rumors, but that seems to be more like what part of the fandom wants, and not necessarily what "D&D" and Disney might be eyeing.

[Falconer]

Feb 8, 2018 16:19:06 GMT -6 makofan said:

If it is directed by Rian Johnson, I won't go see it

Same.

[randyb]

Feb 8, 2018 16:59:11 GMT -6 @rafael said:

As to which era or topic they plan to adapt, the internet seems ablaze with KOTOR rumors, but that seems to be more like what part of the fandom wants, and not necessarily what "D&D" and Disney might be eyeing.

I am equally dismissive about assertions that some other part(s) of the old EU will be resurrected and adapted. Disney decanonized the old EU precisely so they could create new stories rather than being constrained by the published ones. Why they would reopen that can of worms is beyond me.

[Deleted]

Feb 9, 2018 12:25:00 GMT -6 randyb said:

I am equally dismissive about assertions that some other part(s) of the old EU will be resurrected and adapted. Disney decanonized the old EU precisely so they could create new stories rather than being constrained by the published ones. Why they would reopen that can of worms is beyond me.

Absolutely agree. The key is that none of those rumors has been in any way verified, and that passing similarities between the old EU and the new EU simply come with the territory. You can only tell the origin of Han Solo in so many ways, for example.

Now, personally, I think the old EU might become more prominent, or rather, more ideas from it might be recycled. Disney right now is facing the very real danger of a most dramatic devaluation of the SW brand over the coming years: The extremely negative backlash to especially the TLJ movie so far seems to develop into a generally negative bias against the direction of the franchise. ...So, I assume that the powers that be will do what they tend to do in cases like that - to service the fans with something they really want, like doing reprints of the original AD&D books a KOTOR series, perhaps, or a Rogue Squadron show.

For my part, I expect nothing. My Star Wars likely ended long ago, with a slow waltz on Adumar.

[Falconer]

Feb 9, 2018 21:32:20 GMT -6 @rafael said:

For my part, I expect nothing. My Star Wars likely ended long ago, with a slow waltz on Adumar.

Well said.

I still like TFA well enough, but I’m not sure if I see it as an alternate future, or if I can handwave or ignore the discrepancies with the Bantam era.

[Deleted]

Feb 9, 2018 23:32:21 GMT -6 Falconer said:

Well said.

I still like TFA well enough, but I’m not sure if I see it as an alternate future, or if I can handwave or ignore the discrepancies with the Bantam era.

I don't really think those two are reconcilable; after E7, perhaps there was still a chance, but not like this.

The truth is that also I don't mind the "soft reboot" as much as that I am disappointed in how bad it is. The premise itself had promise: "Exiled space nazis attacking with superweapon whose construction probably started during the days of the old republic, and a Leia-led intergalactic task force trying to deal with them." - Imagine what more talented, more invested writers could have done with that! - Then, drop a few household names ("Darklighter" was apparently Poe Dameron's first script name, but no, we couldn't have that), and, by Hextor, two lines about the possibility of a multiverse, and I personally would have been happy forevermore. - Kind of like Star Trek did.


But, alas, it is what it is. - I remember you and me, Falconer, to have our first conversations online about how bad Dragonlance's "War of Souls" was. ...Well, at least now we can say that "War of Souls" was not the worst reboot of a franchise that we ever saw.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2018 5:27:54 GMT -6 Piper said:

Even the Thrawn trilogy everyone always goes on about? I read them, enjoyed them, but I just didn't and don't find it something I'm yearning to see (or to see elements of) in a film.

Small side info: Unknown to most English-speaking fans, The Thrawn books were made into radio dramas here in Germany, and those audio dramas got an incredibly positive response, and sold, like, 3 million copies in the German-speaking realms. - So, the script is out there, and with Amazon/Audible always in the mix, you might get to see them translated, still. I have the gut feeling that this might be something that might be in the pipeline, especially if Disney indeed embraces the idea of servicing their fans.


Here's an excerpt - obviously, in German:

[randyb]

Feb 10, 2018 7:13:41 GMT -6 Piper said:

I speak German, I’ll check them out. I really like the NPR “Star Wars” radio dramas that came out a couple of decades ago.

If I am thinking of the same ones you are thinking of, they are older than that. And the radio drama of the original film (now known as Episode IV) had unique scenes and details not presented anywhere else. Definitely endorsed!

[Falconer]

Feb 10, 2018 5:27:54 GMT -6 Piper said:

Even the Thrawn trilogy everyone always goes on about? I read them, enjoyed them, but I just didn't and don't find it something I'm yearning to see (or to see elements of) in a film.

I like them as books. I’m not really a big film buff; the OT is just a major exception. I love Williams’ score, McQuarrie’s art, the practical effects, the sound effects, the characters, the acting, and the story. Still, you watch the movie and it’s over; it’s like a vignette, a newsreel, a brief window into the GFFA. It doesn’t really come alive for me till the Zahn books.

[Falconer]

I don’t disagree.

I think what would have been really cool is if TFA, instead of being Episode 7, had been labeled something like Episode 13. That would have been a neat way to signal the passage of time, and been a nice homage to the whole “serial in medias res” conceit of the OT. As if Luke Skywalker and Han Solo had gone on having many adventures, and now we’re just tuning back in.

[sixdemonbag]

I think as long as the new trilogies stay away from the Skywalker family, everyone will feel more satisfied. There is so much baggage tied up in that family tree, that it's starting to create more problems than it solves.

I haven't made up my mind on RJ and TLJ yet, but I really like that Rey wasn't "next" in the chosen one bloodline. Kylo Ren and Anakin have already made being a Skywalker something to be quite wary of.