Skip to main content

Game of Thrones creators’ Star Wars trilogy will follow Rise of Skywalker

The creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones will be heading to a galaxy far, far away in the very near, near future.

Disney has confirmed that the previously announced trilogy of Star Wars films from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will indeed be the next big-screen installments of the sci-fi saga to hit theaters following Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which comes out December 20. The first of those films is currently scheduled to premiere in 2022.

Recommended Videos

The plan was announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger during the MoffettNathanson Media & Communications conference.

It was previously announced that both the Game of Thrones creators and Episode VIII – The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson were both working on separate trilogies set in the Star Wars universe. Details remain scarce regarding both trilogies, although rumors suggest that Benioff and Weiss’ films might be set early in the franchise’s timeline, well before George Lucas’ episodic prequel trilogy.

Earlier in May, Disney announced the release dates for all three films in the next Star Wars trilogy without confirming whether it was Johnson’s project or the Game of Thrones duo’s project. The films have been given release dates of December 16, 2022; December 20, 2024; and December 18, 2026.

After releasing two episodic films and two stand-alone “anthology” movies in four years, Disney announced it would ease back on the release schedule for Star Wars movies following The Rise of Skywalker. The studio instead has diverted its attention to its upcoming Disney Plus streaming-video service, which will launch in November and feature multiple original Star Wars series, both live-action and animated. Among those series is The Mandalorian, a live-action series developed by Jon Favreau (The Jungle Book), as well as an untitled series set before the events of 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story featuring Diego Luna’s character from the film.

The final season of Game of Thrones has been one of the most polarizing so far for fans, which has led to an anxious reception to the Star Wars news. After the HBO series officially outpaced the novels it was adapted from — George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series — fans have taken issue more increasingly with some popular characters’ story arcs and the path of the series’ story as a whole. The penultimate episode of the series, titled “The Bells,” aired May 12 and sparked no small amount of controversy regarding where it took certain characters and how it framed some of their final moments.

The final episode of Game of Thrones airs on HBO this Sunday, May 18.

Rick Marshall
Former Contributing Editor, Entertainment
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Star Wars legend Ian McDiarmid gets questions about the Emperor’s sex life
Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This weekend, the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 20th anniversary re-release had a much stronger performance than expected with $25 million and a second-place finish behind Sinners. Revenge of the Sith was the culmination of plans by Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) that led to the fall of the Jedi and his own ascension to emperor. Because McDiarmid's Emperor died in his first appearance -- 1983's Return of the Jedi -- Revenge of the Sith was supposed to be his live-action swan song. However, Palpatine's return in Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker left McDiarmid being asked questions about his character's comeback, particularly about his sex life and how he could have a granddaughter.

While speaking with Variety, McDiarmid noted that fans have asked him "slightly embarrassing questions" about Palpatine including "'Does this evil monster ever have sex?'"

Read more
Lost co-showrunner is developing a new Star Wars TV series
The logo for Star Wars.

Star Wars Celebration came and went without a lot news about the live-action series beyond Ahsoka season 2. Now, there's word that a new Star Wars TV series in the works from Lost co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and his son, Nick Cuse.

Via Deadline, The InSneider broke the story about the father-and-son team collaborating on the project for Lucasfilm. No details are currently available about what the show's premise is or when it takes place in the Star Wars timeline. The project is still very early in development and it marks the first time that Carlton and Nick Cuse have collaborated in Hollywood.

Read more
Star Wars: Visions is getting a new spin-off series
Star Wars

Star Wars: Visions is back with a third season, and it's getting a new spin-off series inspired by its stories. If you aren't familiar, Visions is an animated anthology of different short stories, each told in a self-contained way. You don't need to know much about the overall lore to enjoy these one-off tales, and many notable studios — including the excellent Studio Trigger, known for the anime Delicious in Dungeon and Kill la Kill — have contributed to the series.

At Star Wars Celebration Japan, Lucasfilm's James Waugh announced another set of nine Visions episodes coming October 29, 2025. He also said the series would get a spin-off that would focus on fan-favorite characters Kara and Juro and invited The Ninth Jedi writer Kenji Kamiyama onto the stage to discuss the upcoming spinoff.

Read more