Game Of Thrones Showrunners Explain Why They’re Not Returning To Star Wars

Summary

• Independence is crucial for Game of Thrones showrunners Benioff and Weiss, which is why they are no longer considering creating a Star Wars movie.
• Benioff explained that established franchises like Star Wars limit the creative freedom they prefer in their projects.
• Despite limiting its creators’ independence, Lucasfilm’s control over Star Wars ensures business success whil still allowing for truly original content to be made.

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were once supposed to create a Star Wars movie, but they are no longer considering working with the franchise. Benioff and Weiss originally pitched a Star Wars trilogy about the first Jedi, but the plans to create it were scrapped. While it would later become James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, Benioff and Weiss weren’t asked to return. Now, it seems they may never come back for another Star Wars movie and are instead focusing on other projects.

In an interview with Games Radar, Benioff said that he and Weiss were not considering working on Star Wars again due to the lack of independence inherent in working on an established franchise.

I think, you know, when you’ve got a franchise that’s already so well established, like Star Wars or James Bond or so forth, I think there’s less independence when you come in to try to tell a story that you want to tell, and so I think what Dan [Weiss] and I have learned is that it’s more fun for us to start something afresh.

Benioff and Weiss are most known for their adaptations of existing stories such as Game of Thrones and their newest project, 3 Body Problem, but Benioff went on to say that those projects offer more freedom than Star Wars would. Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises in film, and as such, there are quite a few people involved in the creative process for any of its projects. Benioff and Weiss clearly prefer to be able to take their projects in whatever direction they please, and having that many people working with them would limit that ability.

Benioff & Weiss Are Right – Is That A Problem With Star Wars?

Benioff and Weiss may be right about Star Wars, as both Lucasfilm and Disney’s involvement in the franchise certainly limits how much individual creators can shape their stories. There are always corporate interests at play that limit some of the bolder decisions creators want to implement, and new installments also have to fit in with the established, and extensive, lore of the franchise. On the other hand, Star Wars has been a mostly cohesive franchise precisely because of Lucasfilm’s involvement. The company needs some degree of control over the franchise to coordinate its content plan, marketing, and the countless other factors that go into running a successful business.

Finding a balance between allowing creators to have control over their projects and managing the business interests necessary to keep the franchise going is a daunting task. Luckily, Lucasfilm and Disney have found a way to do it reasonably well. Star Wars has become a huge financial success for them, and they’ve also given creators enough freedom for truly original content like Andor and The Acolyte to be made. While there may not be enough independence for Benioff and Weiss, the future of Star Wars will still be driven by visionary creators, even if they can’t let their imaginations run completely wild.

Source: Games Radar