They may be spending the night of the Game of Thrones finale drunk and far away from the internet, but filmmakers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had better sober up quick — they are going to be the next ones headed to a galaxy far, far away. In a conference call with investors, as reported by Attractions magazine, Disney revealed that the next Star Wars film to be released following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker this December will be the long-anticipated Star Wars film from Benioff and Weiss. That the announcement came when fan fervor — and fury — over Game of Thrones is at its peak is likely by design by the House of Mouse.
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Benioff and Weiss are reportedly developing a trilogy of Star Wars movies — one of two currently in development. The other, from Star Wars: The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson, has been the subject of cancellation rumors twice in the last couple of months. The most likely scenario there is that, since Disney has taken on Fox assets and Star Wars will be alternating years with Avatar for the next few years, Johnson’s trilogy will be delayed until after Benioff and Weiss’s is completed, meaning that it will not go into active production for about five years.
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, the studio confirmed that it would be developing not only sequels to the Skywalker Saga, but also develop standalone films in the galaxy far, far away. Ahead of the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story last May, it seemed as though there were a limitless number of productions being planned.
Prior to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, writer/director Rian Johnson was announced to be developing a trilogy of films unrelated to the Skywalker Saga, based on the positive and creative relationship he had with Lucasfilm. This announcement was followed by the confirmation that Benioff and Weiss were developing a series of films, which was then followed by news that Jon Favreau was developing the first live-action Star Wars series, Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
Days before the release of Solo, reports emerged that Logan director James Mangold was developing a Boba Fett film, but the franchise’s future looked a lot different after the release of the most recent Star Wars film.
Solo went on to earn nearly $400 million worldwide, an accomplishment for many movies, but a big disappointment for the franchise. A number of factors led to the lackluster response, with the biggest stumbling block seemingly being that fans just weren’t that interested in the film. Despite Han Solo being a beloved character and the impressive talent attached, it was hard to drum up excitement for a film no one was asking for, especially when it hit theaters six months after the last film premiered.
Benioff and Weiss will look to be the first filmmakers to tackle Star Wars in a post-Skywalker world — and will do so in 2022. More news on their film as it develops.
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