To put it lightly, many Game of Thrones fans were left disappointed with the show’s last season. The online backlash against the final eight episodes was so vocal that it was even addressed by both members of the cast and HBO on numerous occasions, with season 8 fast becoming one of the most controversial swansongs in television history.
Much of the criticism was aimed at how showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss fared after the narrative of the show had outstripped the books, with many of their creative decisions heavily derided by the fanbase. For those Game of Thrones aficionados that also have a vested interest in the Star Wars franchise, this became particularly worrying as Benioff and Weiss were announced to be both writing and producing an entire trilogy set in that galaxy far, far away.
The news was first revealed in February 2018 when Game of Thrones was at the height of its popularity, and Kathleen Kennedy certainly seemed pleased to have them on board at the time, saying:
“David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today. 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.”
There’s been virtually no news on this trilogy since the original announcements besides rumors that the movies would be released in 2022, 2024 and 2026. Now, however, a new report has claimed that Benioff and Weiss are only committed to writing the first installment as opposed to all three, which may come as a relief to many Game of Thrones fans.
Some people might not be happy that Benioff and Weiss are involved with the Star Wars franchise given how the end of Game of Thrones was received, but history has shown that Kathleen Kennedy doesn’t hesitate when it comes to replacing filmmakers that don’t fit her vision for the brand. Josh Trank, Colin Trevorrow and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were all hired to direct Star Wars movies at one point before being removed from their positions, and if Lucasfilm aren’t happy with the work that Benioff and Weiss are coming up with, then they could very well suffer a similar fate.