Game of Thrones creators get next Star Wars film, and not everyone's happy
Some disgruntled Game of Thrones fans say David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be the ruin of Star Wars.
David Benoiff and D.B. Weiss have their hands full.
It's official. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will soon be going from swords to lightsabers when they will helm the next Star Wars movie after 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.
We already knew Disney had signed the pair up for a Star Wars adventure. We also knew Disney had an unnamed Star Wars movie penciled in for 2022. Chairman Bob Iger revealed on Tuesday how those puzzle pieces fit together.
"The next movie that we release will be theirs, and we're not saying more about that," Iger said during the MoffettNathanson 6th Annual Media & Communications Summit in New York.
Iger said he hasn't seen the finished Rise of Skywalker yet, but he expects it will be extremely popular. He said it would be smart "to take a bit of a hiatus" after the film's release.
Disney settled on three years as the proper amount of time for a breather. That's how we ended up with 2022 as the next Star Wars film release date, though there will be Disney Plus streaming television shows to keep fans engaged in the meantime.
Benioff and Weiss are wrapping up what has been a largely triumphant eight-season run on Game of Thrones, but their storytelling decisions during the final episodes have triggered criticism from some fans of the show.
Unhappy viewers took to Twitter to suggest the pair, known informally as "D&D," might ruin Star Wars.
d&d have already ruined GoT now they’re gonna ruin Star Wars??? who thought this was a good idea?? i need a word
— 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 ☾ (@MysaTheLesbian) May 14, 2019
Please do not use D&D for #starwars. They are not good writers... Just look at the mess that is GOT now. No Rian Johnson or Weiss and Benioff #Disney. Stop killing Star wars...
— Christian Lemus (@DerelictAdvent) May 14, 2019
These sort of reactions show the depth of feelings around beloved franchises like Game of Thrones and Star Wars. We've seen the online wrath fans can rain down when they get upset.
The preemptive anger on Twitter around Benioff and Weiss taking on Star Wars feels a lot like shaking your fist at an uncertain future. Maybe you don't like what Daenerys did. Maybe you wanted a different fate for your Game of Thrones favorites. Does that mean D&D's Star Wars vision will suck? We'll have to wait until 2022 to find out.
Originally published 11:17 a.m. PT.