Game of Thrones showrunners' Star Wars trilogy was going to reveal "how the Jedi came to exist"

Star Wars
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Further details have emerged about the cancelled Star Wars trilogy from Game of Thrones showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff, including reports of behind-the-scenes tensions and a glimpse at the series’ possible story.

Variety states that Weiss and Benioff were going to move away from the Skywalker saga that will conclude in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by exploring “how the Jedi came to exist.” Presumably, that would have been set during the days of The Old Republic, millenia before the events of The Phantom Menace – however, there were apparently creative differences which ultimately led to the split.

Suggestions from The Hollywood Reporter reveal that the pair’s Netflix deal caused issues, with the terms of the contract allegedly needing the duo to be “exclusively” present on set during the production of their projects, essentially a no-go if they were simultaneously working on a Star Wars trilogy.

Benioff and Weiss, according to one source, were also hesitant about jumping on-board in a galaxy far, far away due to “toxic fandom,” perhaps a holdover from the backlash to their abbreviated Game of Thrones season 8 run.

Despite the comings and goings, and the Jedi prequel origin story seemingly falling by the wayside, we could still be getting a Star Wars movie set thousands of years before the Skywalker saga. In May, rumours surfaced about a Knights of the Old Republic film being in the works, with Shutter Island writer Laeta Kalogridis attached. That, alongside Rian Johnson’s trilogy of his own and Kevin Feige’s involvement with another Star Wars project indicates that there’s still plenty to get excited about once Episode 9 is in the books.

Lost track? Here are all the new Star Wars movies coming your way over the next few years.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Star Wars Movies
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
After 26 years, a secret Star Wars reference to George Lucas has been uncovered: "We got a new Phantom Menace Easter Egg before GTA 6"
Liam Neeson in The Phantom Menace
"Wise mentor" or "awful Jedi"? Star Wars fans are debating if Qui-Gon Jinn is to blame for Anakin's turn to the dark side
Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Longlegs director pitches horrifying Star Wars movie with Darth Vader, and we want it to happen
Werner Herzog in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans are sharing their favorite unbelievable canon cameos – and some of them are seriously deep-cut
Kathleen Kennedy standing with a bunch of Stormtroopers
Star Wars' Kathleen Kennedy debunks retirement reports, as she shares plans for the future of Lucasfilm: "I will die making movies"
Star Wars
Two of Star Wars' biggest no-show movies get updates – but they're not completely promising
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2