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Netflix locks down the Game of Thrones showrunners, but what about Star Wars?

Chris Gates
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The Game of Thrones showrunners have a new home. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who guided HBO’s hit fantasy series from its first episode all the way through its controversial finale, have signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix that will see the duo develop both TV series and feature-length films for the streaming service.

Netflix landed Benioff and Weiss after a three-month bidding war against five other companies, including Disney, HBO, and Amazon, Deadline reported on August 7. The exact amount of money involved isn’t known, but it’s allegedly on par with the deals signed by a pair of other superstar creators, Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes.

The Netflix deal seems to be the final nail in the coffin for Confederate, Benioff and Weiss’ long-gestating HBO series set in an alternate reality where the South won the Civil War and slavery never ended. It’s less clear what this means for Benioff and Weiss’ mysterious Star Wars project, which was expected to arrive in 2022.

Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Star Wars would be taking a brief hiatus from the big screen after Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, which premieres in theaters on December 20, 2019. In the meantime, fans will be able to visit their favorite far, far away galaxy via live action series like The Mandalorian and the currently untitled Rogue One spin-off, which will both air on the upcoming Disney+ streaming service.

The Benioff and Weiss film will reportedly kick off a new Star Wars trilogy, and will supposedly be set during Star Wars’ Old Republic era. This is different from the other Star Wars trilogy currently being developed by Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. According to Deadline, Benioff and Weiss still plan to work on Star Wars in addition to previously announced projects at Universal and Fox.

It remains to be seen whether Benioff and Weiss will have time to do it all. It’s also not clear how receptive fans will be to future Benioff and Weiss projects. While Game of Thrones was one of the hottest shows on TV for its entire run, the final season — particularly its final two episodes — were so poorly received that over 1 million viewers signed a petition asking HBO to do it over. 

Still, Benioff and Weiss must’ve done something right. Despite the controversy, Game of Thrones‘ eighth season scored 32 Emmy nominations, setting the record for the most nominations for a show in a single season.

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