Game of Thrones is one of the most iconic television series of all time and this cannot only be credited to its cast. One of the biggest reasons for its success is thanks to David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, the creators of the massive series. Throughout its lengthy run, it managed to gather a massive audience of dedicated fans who got completely lost in the world that they were building, creating real, human stories in a world as far away from reality as perhaps possible.
While the ending of the series was certainly a controversial one, it allowed the pair to start over with something new. After having worked on the HBO show for almost a decade, change may have been exactly what they needed. While they tried many different shoes to see which would fit the best, a specific one stood out in particular. During a recent interview, it was revealed that Benioff and Weiss tried to get their own Star Wars film made. However, things did not pan out for them.
Game of Thrones Creators Wanted To Tell A Star Wars Story
David Benioff & D.B. Weiss recently gave an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The two went into great detail about all things surrounding the world of Game of Thrones, and what followed after it crumbled. They revealed that there were several different projects that they were trying to work on after the end of their iconic series. Among these was a film for the Star Wars franchise that they wanted to execute.
“It’s kind of a low point,” Weiss said softly. “You try things that feel like they are worth doing and some of them work out, and some don’t.”
“We wanted to do The First Jedi,” Benioff went on to say. “Basically how the Jedi Order came to be, why it came to be, the first lightsaber …”
Being called The First Jedi, Benioff mentioned that the film was going to do a deep dive into how the Jedi Order was formed and the events that took place around it. On top of this, they also wanted to feature the first lightsaber in it, which would have certainly gained the attention of the fans. Unfortunately for the fans and the pair, this film did not manage to impress the higher-ups in the franchise.
Why Was David Benioff & D.B. Weiss’ Plan Rejected?
After revealing what their film was going to be about, David Benioff & D.B. Weiss went into detail about why things did not pan out. The former revealed that Lucasfilm was not willing to fully adjust to the vision the two had in their heads, and the Game of Thrones creators wanted to stick to it. Benioff went on to comment that the television company was looking for “droids” and since they two refused to be that, the company and the writers parted ways.
“[Lucasfilm] ended up not wanting to do a First Jedi story. We had a very specific story idea in mind, and ultimately they decided they didn’t want to do that. And we totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for.” said Benioff.
“And we were annoyed as hell when [Rian Johnson, the duo’s longtime friend and 3BP producer] called his movie The Last Jedi,” Weiss says dryly. “He completely destroyed the obvious title for what we were working on.”
Despite the seemingly amicable decision, Weiss pointed out that they were unhappy with the 2017 film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, not because of the film itself, but its name. He pointed out that Benioff and Weiss were looking to name their film The First Jedi, so having a film with a name so similar to what they wanted only made it all the more hurtful for them.
