David Benioff and Dan Weiss, creators of the Game of Thrones HBO show, have explained more about their scrapped Star Wars film, saying "we weren't the droids [Lucasfilm] were looking for".
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair also confirmed reports from 2019 that their film would essentially be "The First Jedi", telling the story of how the Jedi Order, first lightsabers, and so on came to be.
Lucasfilm hired Benioff and Weiss to direct a series of films in 2018, with the first premiering in 2022, though this was scrapped in 2019 due to scheduling conflicts, the pair said at the time. The split appeared amicable, as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy also said she hopes Benioff and Weiss would return to Star Wars one day.
We totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for.
The official story appears to have changed, however, as Benioff has now said "[Lucasfilm] ended up not wanting to do a First Jedi story. We had a very specific story idea in mind, and ultimately they decided they didn’t want to do that.
"We totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for."
The scathing comments didn't stop there though as Weiss also expressed frustration at Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi, for stepping on their toes.
"We wanted to do The First Jedi. Basically how the Jedi Order came to be, why it came to be, the first lightsaber," Benioff said.
"And we were annoyed as hell when [Rian Johnson] called his movie The Last Jedi," Weiss added. "He completely destroyed the obvious title for what we were working on."
Concern over the state of Star Wars films isn't anything new, with the Prequel Trilogy facing a harsh critical reception upon its premiere in 1999, but fans are growing increasingly concerned and confused at the number of films being announced without any actually releasing since 2019's Star Wars: Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker.
A Rogue Squadron film from Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins was announced in 2021 with a 2023 premiere date, but quietly removed from Disney's release schedule later that year. Another from Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was announced in 2019 before fading into obscurity and being cancelled in 2023.
The aforementioned Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi director Johnson also has another trilogy of films in the works. This was announced way back in 2017 but, more than half a decade later, remains uncancelled despite not being in active development. Taika Waititi has a film in a similar boat, that was announced in 2020 but seemingly won't arrive until around 2030 per the director's own estimates.
As for the films allegedly in active development, and not put off by having four others announced with no signs of actually coming out, Lucasfilm announced three further films at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
One comes from The Mandalorian and Ahsoka's Dave Filoni and will likely wrap up the stories which began in those Star Wars TV shows, while another from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold looks to tell the story of the beginning of The Force.
Sequel Trilogy star Daisy Ridley is also set to return as Rey Skywalker in a movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, taking place 15 years after Star Wars: Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker.
And if that's not enough, another Star Wars film was announced in January 2024. The Mandalorian & Grogu comes from Jon Favreau and will go into production later in the year.
None of these films have actual premiere dates, though Disney has three Star Wars films on its film schedule. It's unclear which will be which, but these films are set for May 22, 2026, followed by December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027. Whether or not Disney and Lucasfilm hit these dates remains to be seen, of course.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Continue reading...
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair also confirmed reports from 2019 that their film would essentially be "The First Jedi", telling the story of how the Jedi Order, first lightsabers, and so on came to be.
Lucasfilm hired Benioff and Weiss to direct a series of films in 2018, with the first premiering in 2022, though this was scrapped in 2019 due to scheduling conflicts, the pair said at the time. The split appeared amicable, as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy also said she hopes Benioff and Weiss would return to Star Wars one day.
We totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for.
The official story appears to have changed, however, as Benioff has now said "[Lucasfilm] ended up not wanting to do a First Jedi story. We had a very specific story idea in mind, and ultimately they decided they didn’t want to do that.
"We totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for."
The scathing comments didn't stop there though as Weiss also expressed frustration at Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi, for stepping on their toes.
"We wanted to do The First Jedi. Basically how the Jedi Order came to be, why it came to be, the first lightsaber," Benioff said.
"And we were annoyed as hell when [Rian Johnson] called his movie The Last Jedi," Weiss added. "He completely destroyed the obvious title for what we were working on."
Concern over the state of Star Wars films isn't anything new, with the Prequel Trilogy facing a harsh critical reception upon its premiere in 1999, but fans are growing increasingly concerned and confused at the number of films being announced without any actually releasing since 2019's Star Wars: Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker.
A Rogue Squadron film from Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins was announced in 2021 with a 2023 premiere date, but quietly removed from Disney's release schedule later that year. Another from Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was announced in 2019 before fading into obscurity and being cancelled in 2023.
The aforementioned Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi director Johnson also has another trilogy of films in the works. This was announced way back in 2017 but, more than half a decade later, remains uncancelled despite not being in active development. Taika Waititi has a film in a similar boat, that was announced in 2020 but seemingly won't arrive until around 2030 per the director's own estimates.
As for the films allegedly in active development, and not put off by having four others announced with no signs of actually coming out, Lucasfilm announced three further films at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
One comes from The Mandalorian and Ahsoka's Dave Filoni and will likely wrap up the stories which began in those Star Wars TV shows, while another from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold looks to tell the story of the beginning of The Force.
Sequel Trilogy star Daisy Ridley is also set to return as Rey Skywalker in a movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, taking place 15 years after Star Wars: Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker.
And if that's not enough, another Star Wars film was announced in January 2024. The Mandalorian & Grogu comes from Jon Favreau and will go into production later in the year.
None of these films have actual premiere dates, though Disney has three Star Wars films on its film schedule. It's unclear which will be which, but these films are set for May 22, 2026, followed by December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027. Whether or not Disney and Lucasfilm hit these dates remains to be seen, of course.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Continue reading...
