'Game of Thrones' creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are the forces behind the next 'Star Wars' film, and some fans are ready to cry 'Dracarys'
Whose up for a game of lightsabers? Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger revealed today that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be traveling from Westeros to George Lucas’s far, far away galaxy sooner than expected. Although the Star Wars franchise was always scheduled to take a hiatus after the Dec. 20 release of The Rise of Skywalker — the ninth and final episode in the Skywalker Saga — Disney had previously commissioned separate film trilogies from The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson and the GoT duo. Last week, the studio issued a press release disclosing their release plan through the year 2027, where the next Star Wars film was given a Dec. 26, 2022 date. And, according to Iger, that’s going to be a Benioff and Weiss joint (for the record, they’re only onboard as writers and producers, not directors), rather than a Johnson production. “The next movie that we release will be theirs, and we’re not saying anything more about that.”
That’s OK, because the internet has plenty of thoughts about the duo leaving Game of Thrones behind for Star Wars. And, believe it or not, a few of them are even positive!
I can't wait for Benioff and Weiss to knock a Star Wars trilogy out of the park so that two entire groups of toxic fans will be silenced. That'd be the equivalent of a snap by Thanos.
— Ryan Snelling (@whatupsnell) May 14, 2019
I'm so excited that Benioff and Weiss's next project is STAR WARS because the internet may truly burn down and honestly wouldn't we all be better off without it.
— Brian Duffield+ (@BrianDuffield) May 13, 2019
After the amount of ridiculous hate these two have received recently, I hope Benioff & Weiss get to write 20 Star Wars movies. pic.twitter.com/sUY5m7M7DS
— Harun Taylor (@thelegendaryht) May 14, 2019
In general, though, Twitter seems ready to cry “Dracarys” on the whole movie, sight unseen. Chalk it up to a simmering dissatisfaction with the way this shortened final season of Game of Thrones has unfolded, which boiled over into outright anger after the events of the penultimate episode. Benioff and Weiss have been blamed for everything from betraying character arcs to ignoring George R.R. Martin’s carefully constructed mythology to allowing a rogue Starbucks coffee cup to make a cameo. And after these missteps, fans are understandably concerned about what they have planned for Star Wars.
Please, Benioff & Weiss NO!!! 😩
They did the impossible and destroyed #GameOfThrones. Don’t let Star Wars be the next doom.— vale ????????? (@chibatzion) May 14, 2019
"the untitled star wars film by david benioff and db weiss will be released on december 16, 2022." pic.twitter.com/hz1MioNSmK
— caroline (@ryastarks) May 14, 2019
Star Wars movies by Benioff and Weiss? pic.twitter.com/kS3J6NJlL1
— Vexus, Dark Lord of the Sith (@TDRLetsPlay) May 14, 2019
Can we not with Benioff and Weiss helming #StarWars? https://t.co/8mKTLsVg53
— Jason Stack (@crimsong19) May 14, 2019
Hey @Disney @starwars you might want to rethink Benioff and Weiss for the next #starwars trilogy considering what they've single handedly done to #GameOfThrones. Just putting it out there.
— Alizabeth (@bizbethj) May 14, 2019
"It's official. The next installment of the Star Wars saga will be by David Benioff and DB Weiss. December 2022." pic.twitter.com/4Y9KJPmHgd
— gl? (@_lifthrasir) May 14, 2019
Even as some Star Wars fans are letting the hate flow through them, others are urging that they find a way to balance the force of their emotions.
Anger and disappointment are fine. But I'm seeing all-consuming outrage on Twitter. People calling for Benioff and Weiss to be fired from STAR WARS, and digging into their family histories for evidence of abhorrent political beliefs. It's not healthy or productive.
— Jeremy Smith (@mrbeaks) May 14, 2019
Ok, so look. I know everyone (an exaggeration) is very mad about Weiss and Benioff writing a #StarWars movie because they RUINED #got (another massive exaggeration). But I don't think that is a reason, on its own, to be worried.
— Dave Giannini (@DaveAGiannini) May 14, 2019
Apparently it is cool to hate a Star Wars film that comes out in three years and we know nothing about because Benioff & Weiss are involved. Cool cool. I really don’t know what I would do without the Star Wars fandom police.
— Jyn Erso Lives! (@JynErsoLives) May 14, 2019
And then there are those who just wonder what story the two are planning to tell in the Star Wars universe, which may span two additional movies released in 2024 and 2026. With the Skywalkers in the rearview, they — and Johnson, whose trilogy is still very much in the development phase, despite rumors to the contrary — have an entire galaxy of stories to explore.
Bob Iger just confirmed today that the Benioff & Weiss #StarWars trilogy is up first. Star Wars News Net dropped a rumor in March that they’d be up first and begin production this fall, with their series set during the Old Republic. It’s all lining up 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SJ8Cp4K0a6
— Nicholas Whitcomb (@Whos_Nick) May 14, 2019
Cautiously excited about Benioff and Weiss taking the helm for the next Star Wars trilogy. They have proven how to create meaningful stories, but the expectations of Star Wars can be very intimidating. I'd love to see a villain driven trilogy about the creation of the Jedi/Sith.
— Brandon Smith (@minismitty) May 14, 2019
Wait, what if... Rian Johnson’s movies and Benioff & Weiss’ movies are part of the same Star Wars story?
Johnson tells the origin of the Jedi, B&W tell the origin of the Sith, until it all culminates in the first Jedi-Sith War?
Powerful light, powerful dark... pic.twitter.com/aKSwVfk94c— Force Material (@ForceMaterial) May 7, 2019
Here’s our pitch: Star Wars: The Direwolf and the Tauntaun.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on Dec. 20; the series finale of Game of Thrones airs Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
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