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Now that they’re done ruining ‘Game of Thrones,’ Benioff and Weiss are moving on to ‘Star Wars’

Published May 14th, 2019 12:44PM EDT
Next Star Wars movie
Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

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Just days before the final episode of Game of Thrones airs on HBO, wrapping up one of the most critically acclaimed (and divisive) TV shows of the decade, Disney has announced that creators and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will write and produce the next Star Wars movie. Coming in 2022, this movie will kick off a trilogy that will usher in the next generation of Star Wars stories, with the Skywalker Saga coming to a close.

“We’re hard at work already,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said during an investor’s call, according to a report from Polygon on Tuesday, ”but we felt three years was the proper amount of time to not only take a breather and reset, but to gear up for the next film’s release [which he confirmed will be from Benioff and Weiss].”

Disney’s first foray into the Star Wars universe, The Force Awakens, was a success — both financially and critically. The three that followed were more of a mixed bag, with polarized reactions to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, then middling reviews and a generally unenthusiastic response to Solo: A Star Wars Story. All of this reportedly convinced Disney to reevaluate its aggressive plans for the franchise.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens up December 20th, 2019, wrapping up the trilogy that J.J. Abrams kicked off four years ago. Once it hits, Disney will wait a full three years before releasing another Star Wars movie in theaters. In an era where Marvel Studios is pumping out three blockbusters a year, that feels like a long time. Then again, maybe three years will be enough time for us all to forget how poorly Game of Thrones season 8 turned out.

The good news is that Star Wars fans won’t be left completely in the lurch, as Iger noted that both The Mandalorian and the Rogue One prequel series starring Diego Luna will hit the Disney+ streaming service before 2022. Iger also revealed that a third live-action Star Wars series is in the works.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.