The next Star Wars movie after Star Wars Episode 9 is coming in 2022, and it will be directed by the Game of Thrones showrunners. Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the news in a presentation at the MoffetNathanson Media & Communications summit today (as reported by Gizmodo), confirming that the next chapter in Star Wars cinematic history will be led by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Both the fact that Benioff and Weiss were working on a Star Wars film (reportedly a trilogy, though Iger only mentioned one movie this time) and the fact that Star Wars movies will go on a hiatus after The Rise of Skywalker were already known. However, we didn't know what Disney planned to break the dry spell with.
"We did a deal with David Benioff and D.B Weiss, who are famous for Game of Thrones, and the next movie that we release will be theirs," Iger said during the presentation. "And we're not saying anything more about that."
Though we don't know much about the project yet, early rumors indicate that Weiss and Benioff's contribution to the Star Wars cinematic canon may take place thousands of years before the Skywalker Saga, in the days of the Old Republic. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games first established that period of history, but the era is largely unexplored. If the rumors are true, Weiss and Benioff will have plenty of room to spin their own story.
Iger's keeping mum about any such possibilities of course, but he did add that Disney and Lucasfilm are already plotting out what's next for Star Wars films: "The conclusion that we reached was that three years was the proper amount of time to not only take a breather and reset, but to really gear up for the next film's release."
Don't worry, there will still be plenty of Star Wars to go around outside the theater: check out everything we know about Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Or see what's next in games and entertainment this week with our latest Release Radar.
