Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger confirms that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be making the new 'Star Wars' movie, which is set for a 2022 release following 'The Rise of Skywalker'.
- May 15, 2019
AceShowbiz - David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are moving from Westeros to explore the galaxy far, far away after the impending end of "Game of Thrones". The showrunners of the hit HBO series have been officially announced to oversee a new "Star Wars" movie, which will be released in 2022 after "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker".
Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger dropped the news on Tuesday morning, May 14 during a Q&A at the MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit. "We did a deal with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are famous for 'Game of Thrones', and the next movie we release will be theirs," he told the press.
The next movie that Benioff and Weiss are working on is likely separated from the new trilogy, which is being developed by Rian Johnson. Iger refused to divulge the details of the upcoming project, including in which capacity the two TV writers are involved in the new "Star Wars" movie. "We're not saying anything more about that," he coyly said.
Iger, however, talked about "The Rise of Skywalker" and a third "Star Wars" TV series that is currently in the works for Disney+ streaming service. Besides Jon Favreau's "The Mandalorian" series, the company will launch a new series from "The Americans" producer Stephen Schiff that will focus on Diego Luna's Rebel spy Cassian Andor from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and his droid sidekick K-2S0 (Alan Tudyk).
"My guess is there probably will be at least one more live-action series that we produce for Disney+, a 'Star Wars' series, before we release the next film," Iger teased. "So we're not doing nothing. I believe these TV series will be extremely popular for 'Star Wars' fans and very very valuable to Disney+ while we gear up for the next set of films. We haven't said anything more beyond what we've announced on the next film."
As for "The Rise of Skywalker" which is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on December 20, he said, "I haven't seen 'IX' finished yet, but I'm confident based on the pieces I've seen and the script that I read that it's going to be extremely popular."
After releasing five "Star Wars" films since purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012, starting with 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", Iger said, "It would be smart for us to take a bit of a hiatus while we figure out what's next."
"The Rise of Skywalker" is directed by J.J. Abrams and will conclude the trilogy that began with "The Force Awakens" as well as serve as a finale for the overall "Skywalker Saga" that began with the 1977 original.
Benioff and Weiss' "Game of Thrones" TV series is airing its series finale next Sunday, May 19, ending its seven-season run. The duo has also been working together on a feature film adaptation of Stephen Hunter's novel "Dirty White Boys" and another HBO series titled "Confederate".
