As their TV epic comes to a close, “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are already hard at work on Disney’s next stage in the “Star Wars” saga.
The two will be responsible for the next film to follow what is expected to be the end of the Skywalker saga when “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” is released in December, Disney CEO Bob Iger said during the MoffettNathanson Media and Communications Summit on Tuesday.
“We’re not going to wait until nine is out to start figuring it out, we’re actually hard at work doing that now,” Iger said when asked about the future of the “Star Wars” franchise. “We did a deal with David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who are famous for ‘Game of Thrones’ and the next movie that we release will be theirs, and we’re not saying anything more about that.”
The next film after “The Rise of Skywalker” is scheduled to come out in 2022. Last week Disney updated its entire slate of films through 2027 and announced dates for three additional “Star Wars” films on Dec. 20, 2022, Dec. 18, 2024 and Dec. 18, 2026.
Iger said during the MoffettNathanson investment conference that the studio felt it would be smart at this point to take a few years to breath after releasing what will be five films in five years.
“When we finish nine, it’s our feeling that it’ll be smart for us to take a bit of a hiatus while we figure out what’s next,” Iger said. “The consensus was that three years was the proper amount of time to not only take a breath, but also gear up for the next films.
“I haven’t seen nine finished yet,” he continued, “but I’m confident based on the pieces I’ve seen and the script I’ve read that it’ll be extremely popular.”
Disney announced back in February 2018 that Benioff and Weiss would be joining the “Star Wars” galaxy, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy told EW in an April interview that Benioff and Weiss would segue into “Star Wars” after shepherding “Game of Thrones” to the finish line.
Rian Johnson, who directed the divisive “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi,” it was announced in 2017, is also working on a new trilogy of “Star Wars” films. Johnson it appears is still in development, and working closely with Benioff and Weiss on the future of the franchise.
“We are looking at the next saga. We are not just looking at another trilogy, we’re really looking at the next 10 years or more,” Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter in an April interview. “[‘The Rise of Skywalker’] is the culmination of the Skywalker Saga; it’s by no means the culmination of Star Wars.
“I’m sitting down now with Dan Weiss and David Benioff…and Rian Johnson. We’re all sitting down to talk about, where do we go next?” Kennedy continued. “We’ve all had conversations about what the possibilities might be, but now we’re locking it down.”