Benioff and Weiss had ambitious plans to take the "Star Wars" universe in a new direction, one that would exist apart from the Skywalker family saga that comprised the franchise's centerpiece nine-film series. The "Star Wars" period the pair was interested in exploring was how the Jedi came to exist. However, Lucasfilm executives and the creators begin to see their visions for the films diverge during meetings last summer. News that the pair had signed
a massive $250 million production deal with Netflix was a signal to many that they were eager to explore other opportunities. It also brought pressures. When the pact was announced, Netflix said it was aware of the duo's commitments, but insiders say they were also wary of waiting as much as four years for them to wrap up work on "Star Wars." The streaming service wanted Benioff and Weiss to focus on creating exclusive movies and shows for them, particularly when they looked out at a streaming landscape that is growing ever more competitive with the launch of Disney Plus and HBO Max.
As relations with Benioff and Weiss curdled, the studio had begun taking general meetings with other writers on possible "Star Wars" pitches — it's unclear if these were just sit-downs exploring other related productions in the franchise's cinematic and streaming universe. The departure of the two likely sends the studio back to the drawing board with the future of the series more uncertain than it has been since Disney closed its $4 billion deal for Lucasfilm in 2012. This December brings J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and with it the end of that nine-film series. Abrams has been one of the few directors who has been able to successfully navigate the Lucasfilm landscape, but he has a mega-deal with WarnerMedia that will likely mean he won't be making any more "Star Wars" films. Rian Johnson, who oversaw the more divisive "The Last Jedi," was said to get along with Kennedy and has maintained that he had creative freedom, but fans balked at some of his decisions. He had been hired to oversee a separate trilogy of "Star Wars" films, which remains in development, though it's unclear how far along work is on the production. On the streaming front, in November, Disney Plus will release "The Mandalorian," a series about a mysterious bounty hunter that is getting some positive buzz, and the company is prepping a show centered on Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi.
variety.com