Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are coming to Netflix, thanks to a huge new deal. The pair took on the herculean task of adapting George R.R. Martin's popular series of epic novels back in 2006. Development on the series began soon after, with the first episode airing on HBO in 2011. Though opening with moderate acclaim and buzz from audiences, the show became an outright cultural phenomenon over the course of its proceeding seasons.
Unfortunately, with the eighth and final season airing earlier this year, the show went out on an extremely divisive note, declared almost equally one of the best and one of the worst TV finales of all time. So passionate was the backlash that a petition to remake season 8 without Benioff and Weiss even emerged. Though members of the cast have since come out in defense of the final season, Benioff & Weiss have eschewed the limelight for the time being. After being set to make an appearance at SDCC's farewell panel, both of the showrunners dropped out at the last minute.
According to Deadline, Benioff & Weiss have still be been busy behind the scenes and have now signed a huge exclusive deal with Netflix. The news comes in the wake of a bidding war for the duo, which saw at least six studios, including Disney and Amazon, vying for them to sign on the dotted line. The global deal will see them write, direct, and produce both movies and television series under the Netflix Original banner. There were no official details regarding how much they earned from the deal, but Deadline's sources put it at around 9-figures. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos had this to say regarding the deal:
"We are thrilled to welcome master storytellers David Benioff and Dan Weiss to Netflix. They are a creative force and have delighted audiences worldwide with their epic storytelling. We can’t wait to see what their imaginations will bring to our members."
Benioff & Weiss will join such popular creators as Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, who signed their own deals with Netflix in recent months. Murphy's first Netflix show premieres in Setempber, with many others in various stages of development - including a Meryl Streep-starring movie. Benioff & Weiss, however, are still also at work on a new Star Wars trilogy. Working closely with The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson, who has his own new trilogy in the works, the individual projects will move away from the generations-spanning Skywalker story.
The latest acquisition shows that Netflix has no intention of slowing down its aggressive push for new and original content. It's too early to tell what kind of projects Benioff & Weiss have in mind for Netflix - especially given their existing commitments, which also includes a Kurt Cobain project for Universal. As well as an adaptation of Dirty White Boys for Fox/Disney. Still, both Netflix and fans will no doubt be hoping that lightning can indeed strike twice, producing something more like early Game of Thrones and less their alternative history drama idea, Confederate. The latter of which was also met with equal amounts of anger and backlash as Game of Thrones season 8.
Source: Deadline