Game of Thrones creators to make Star Wars films
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Lucasfilm announced plans last Tuesday for a new series of Star Wars films made by the team behind Game of
Thrones, as it seeks to build on the lucrative sci-fi franchise.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of the smash-hit, Emmy Award-winning television series, will write and produce new films that are separate from the main Skywalker saga and the trilogy being developed by Rian Johnson, writer-director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
“David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today,” Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in a statement.
“Their command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting.”
Benioff and Weiss released a joint statement saying they had been dreaming of traveling to “a galaxy far, far away” since seeing the original movie in 1977.
“We are honored by the opportunity, a little terrified by the responsibility and so excited to get started as soon as the final season of Game of Thrones is complete,” they said.
Lucasfilm did not say how many movies would comprise the new series or announce release dates.
Disney boss Bob Iger said when Johnson’s trilogy was announced in November the Star Wars franchise had been “exceeding expectations” since the entertainment giant acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
The two films from the main series under Disney’s charge — The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) — are among the Top 10 highest grossing movies of all time, with $2B and $1.3B, respectively.