Although the upcoming STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER will be bringing the nine-film saga to a conclusion, Disney isn't about to let the franchise lay dormant for long; however, the project which was to relaunch STAR WARS on the big-screen in 2022 hit a major road-block Monday when it was announced that David Benioff & D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones) had departed the new trilogy. "We love Star Wars. 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," Weiss and Benioff said in a statement. "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. So we are regretfully stepping away."
Although David Benioff & D.B. Weiss' desire not to juggle STAR WARS and Netflix simultaneously is said to be the major reason for the split, new reports from Variety and THR give us a little more information. It's no secret that Disney's STAR WARS projects haven't exactly enjoyed smooth sailing behind-the-scenes, as directors such as Josh Trank, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and Colin Trevorrow have all exited or been fired from their respective projects, and it would seem that Weiss and Benioff are the latest casualties. According to THR, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was reportedly unhappy when the Game of Thrones duo signed a mega-deal with Netflix, as she wasn't convinced that they could successfully juggle a STAR WARS trilogy in addition to developing new movies and series for Netflix. Variety added that the streaming service may also have had doubts.
When the pact was announced, Netflix said it was aware of the duo’s commitments, but insiders say they were also wary of waiting as much as four years for them to wrap up work on “Star Wars.” The streaming service wanted Benioff and Weiss to focus on creating exclusive movies and shows for them, particularly when they looked out at a streaming landscape that is growing ever more competitive with the launch of Disney Plus and HBO Max.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' plans for STAR WARS were said to be quite ambitious, as they were interested in exploring just how the Jedi came to exist. However, one source told THR that the pair were also beginning to have second thoughts about engaging with the "toxic fandom" of STAR WARS, particularly after the final season of Game of Thrones was met with so much backlash.
"Who wants to go through that again? Not them," noted another source with knowledge of Benioff and Weiss' thinking. "This was in the 'Life’s Too Short' category." Whether forces internal or external were in play, Benioff and Weiss wanted out. "It was a hard quit,” says an insider.
Even with Benioff and Weiss no longer in the picture, there are still plenty of STAR WARS projects in development, including a separate trilogy from STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI writer/director Rian Johnson, as well as a new film which will be developed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.