[quote] David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the duo who in 2011 launched the singular screen sensation known as Game of Thrones, have walked away from their much-publicized deal with Disney’s Lucasfilm to launch a feature film trilogy in 2022....
[quote] Clearly, it’s a big-fizzle ending for the firecracker-fuse headline from February 2018 when the deal was announced. But the duo’s deal arguably lost some luster during the much-maligned final season of Game of Thrones earlier this year as many fans questioned whether the GOT creators had the storytelling chops to handle a Jedi saga....
[quote]In the end, however, it appears the tandem’s deficiency was in time, not talent. In August, Deadline broke the news that the GOT duo had signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix and, on Monday, that commitment was the one that brought about the end of the Great Westeros Experiment by Disney and Lucasfilm.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 88 | March 9, 2021 10:00 AM |
Hilarious. They ruined the last two seasons of GOT and cut it down to 8 seasons even though HBO, the actors/crew, and GRRM were perfectly okay with going to up to 12-14 seasons, rushed production and didn’t give half a shit about the writing, JUST so that they could sign this contract and start on the Star Wars movies. And now they walk away? They’re jokes of Hollywood now. I don’t get it, why abandon the thing you ruined your integrity and reputation for? Their careers are toast now.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | October 29, 2019 5:38 AM |
[quote] Their careers are toast now.
They reputations may have deservedly suffered but...
[quote]the GOT duo had signed nine-figure deal with Netflix...
That's the most expensive toast in Hollywood.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | October 29, 2019 6:04 AM |
R2 Meh. Netflix tends to not be the best gauge for creator’s career success, given that they’ll throw massive amounts of money at anything. They also gave a huge deal to Ryan Murphy. I think they’re desperate to not get Blockbustered, since they’re losing a shit ton of outside content and as a result people are flocking over to Hulu (rightfully so in my opinion). They’ll give a shit ton of money to whoever requests it if they think it’ll give them a hit.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | October 29, 2019 6:26 AM |
Right r2. I think their contract with Netflix is 300 mil, similar to the one Ryan Murphy signed.
I think they are hacks as well and will struggle to produce quality content without strong source material to adapt, but they are swimming in money and will be getting their crao greenlit on Netfkix for years.
God, I wonder if they will try their damn Confederate idea again.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | October 29, 2019 6:27 AM |
I guess this means it won't actually be canon that Luke and Leia had sex
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 5 | October 29, 2019 6:40 AM |
With Disney launching their own streaming service I suspect a lot of people are gong to be forced to take sides. No way Disney is going to let them work on Star Wars while they're in the Netflix camp and vice versa.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | October 29, 2019 6:45 AM |
How can they walk away from a contract?
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | October 29, 2019 6:46 AM |
R7 The films haven’t even gone into pre-production yet. It’s not uncommon when everything is as up in the air with that new trilogy as it is. Look at Del Toro’s The Hobbit as an example.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | October 29, 2019 7:06 AM |
HBO passed on offering David and Dan a lucrative deal to stay with them.
[Quote]Certain people command [nine figures,] and we've made those deals," says Universal TV president Pearlena Igbokwe, who inked multitasking producer Mike Schur (The Good Place) to a five-year pact valued at $125 million. "[Benioff and Weiss] is not a deal that I went after."
[Quote]The same is true for HBO, the duo's decade-plus home, which sources say was unwilling to offer the bid they wanted. Instead, HBO parent WarnerMedia is in final talks for a $500 million pact with J.J. Abrams — who already has three shows on the network.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 9 | October 29, 2019 7:12 AM |
R1 I REALLY doubt the actors were up for 12-14 seasons. I think 8 full seasons would've been fine.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | October 29, 2019 7:13 AM |
How does Netflix have so much money to throw around? Do they even recoup the amounts they payout?
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | October 29, 2019 9:12 AM |
And the Gemini Man movie he wrote for Ang Lee was a flop. I don't think they are very good at creating something up from scratch. And their shows on Netflix will be another shitshows.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | October 29, 2019 10:31 AM |
Benioff & Weiss leaving HBO means there are no Game Of Thrones spin offs then (not such a bad thing if that's the case)?
Like a previous poster I am wondering where all the money comes from Netflix is throwing at some talent to poach them.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | October 29, 2019 10:42 AM |
These really are the Star Wars.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | October 29, 2019 10:57 AM |
A sound ... not hissing but as if a million voices cried out at once in joy.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | October 29, 2019 11:05 AM |
I’m not sure what to think of them. Game of Thrones crashed and burned at the end, becoming a tragedy at the end because if tragic production and not a tragic story. And they are to blame for that. But up until that point, they created and produced the exception series—so aren’t they capable of producing exceptional work?
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | October 29, 2019 11:07 AM |
Those who were ultimately disappointed with their work would likely argue that they were better at adapting already substantial novels than they were at crafting their own story. Also, Benioff's written a number of questionable screenplays, but then he was also wrote The 25th Hour. At the end of the day, it just seems like their failure will overshadow their success.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | October 29, 2019 11:48 AM |
R10 Why wouldn’t they be? Most of these actors were heavily attached to their characters, to the point that Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington clung to them in times of ill health. For the majority of these actors GOT was their only steady acting job. Also, those actors were getting paid a fuck ton. I’m sure they would’ve stayed.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | October 29, 2019 12:00 PM |
Most British actors can only dream of making HBO money. They’d have been up for more, no doubt.
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | October 29, 2019 12:03 PM |
R17 I look at it as they haven’t even “adapted” it, adapting gives them too much credit and makes it look like they’ve hard to put hard work into their writing.
The seasons everybody loves are practically copied word for word from the novels, the only changes D&D making (like Lady Stoneheart) typically being frowned upon. The seasons everybody hates were fanfic written entirely by D&D, who by that point were openly ignoring the info GRRM gave them about how to arrive at a tangible ending.
They shouldn’t be remembered as great writers who suddenly had a fuck up. They sucked from the start, they just had the benefit of excellent source material and a team of people (including the author of the source material himself) to keep them from being themselves. Around season five that team of people and that excellent source material went away, and thus they started writing their own story, which sucked because they’re terrible at understanding things like character and nuance and the rule of chekhov's gun.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | October 29, 2019 12:13 PM |
Are there any photos of the tall one with his shirt off?
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | October 29, 2019 12:19 PM |
White mediocrity at its finest.
| by Anonymous | reply 23 | October 29, 2019 12:41 PM |
R11/R24 I was just about to say, they’re in crippling debt right now. That shitty movie with Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac and the gang almost bankrupted them.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | October 29, 2019 12:59 PM |
Did you see the shit that came out of that panel they were on the other day? Can you say HACKS?
Netflix might regret their deal, we'll see.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 26 | October 29, 2019 1:05 PM |
I don't think long term debt pays off in this "flavor of the month" consumerism culture. An established company like Disney? Sure. But Netflix is brandnew, and they have nothing else to fall back on other than Netflix. For example social media platform Facebook is fading, but Zuckerberg still has Instagram which is thriving. Amazon owns a shit ton of other companies and there is no sign of Amazon having any troubles (despite having piece of shit president Donald Trump as Bezo's sworn enemy).
Although I am a big fan of Netlfix's original content I don't think it will be worth much when the streaming platform hits the wall.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | October 29, 2019 1:16 PM |
I don't think these overall deals with content creators are a bad idea, the problem with Netflix is that they're spending a ton of money on "legitmacy" in regards to their motion pictures which is basically setting money on fire since none of these movies are bringing in revenue on their theatrical releases. They spent who knows how much on the Steven Soderbergh-Meryl Streep "Laundromat" which had a RT score of all of 42.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 28 | October 29, 2019 1:26 PM |
It sounds like they are getting a bad rep *within* the industry suddenly now (not just from angry “Game of Thrones” fans...)
Anyone know what people in the business think of them? (Are they assholes?)
I’m genuinely surprised that they were seemingly so greedy for even more money (and from a less respected platform like Netflix to boot) that they would actually burn a bridge with *Disney* (which basically—and sadly in my opinion—*owns* Hollywood at this point in time) while also possibly permanently ruining their professional reputations in a larger way by appearing so flaky and inconsistent with this latest move.
What is up with them?
I don’t really like what Disney has become and I think that they’re way too powerful and own way too much of the industry right now—and for the foreseeable future—but that would also motivate me to *not* want to flake out and burn bridges with them in front of the whole world by bailing on projects I publicly promised to do for them if I was a writer/content creator....
Kind of shocked that they did this and wondering what they were thinking and why they thought it was a good idea to possibly be on the Disney empire’s bad side by bailing on them so publicly.
It seems like a really odd business move on their part and I’m wondering what the deal is with these guys....
| by Anonymous | reply 29 | October 29, 2019 1:31 PM |
[Quote]Benioff & Weiss leaving HBO means there are no Game Of Thrones spin offs then (not such a bad thing if that's the case)?
HBO already has a Game Of Thrines spin off in development. They don't need David and Dan.
| by Anonymous | reply 30 | October 29, 2019 1:33 PM |
r12- The Gemini Man script was floating around for 10 years, but Looper got made, so the concept was old by the time they made the movie.
| by Anonymous | reply 31 | October 29, 2019 1:35 PM |
[quote] It sounds like they are getting a bad rep *within* the industry suddenly now (not just from angry “Game of Thrones” fans...)
But what about Disney's rep and how they fucked up the Han Solo movie? The movie underperforming shows that the Star Wars fans don't like Disney's treatment of the Star Wars franchise very much.
What about Disney's rep when it comes to new creative talent after they fired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (sure, not the first time something like that happened) after hiring them in the first place? Netflix seems fairly loyal and committed to the ones they hire and give them the creative freedom to do whatever they want within their negotiated budgets.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 32 | October 29, 2019 1:46 PM |
Disney makes corporate-mandated entertainments, not art, as Martin Scorcese has been arguing for the past month.
| by Anonymous | reply 33 | October 29, 2019 1:49 PM |
Whatever we do, WE MUST SAVE STAR WARS!!!!!
| by Anonymous | reply 34 | October 29, 2019 1:51 PM |
r34, then why hire artsy fartsy new talent? Disney wants to give their corporate-mandated entertainment a shred of artistic credibility. But fail to mention that when they hire said artsy fartsy new talent, because then they would bail before signing the contract. Nothing wrong with artsy fartsy talent "selling out" and creating corporate-mandated talent, but they shouldn't be dicked around with "Oh, we love what you do, and we want you to do the same with our Disney movie properties!".
| by Anonymous | reply 35 | October 29, 2019 1:56 PM |
Easily two of the biggest cunts in the industry. How anyone would employ them after the last few seasons of GoT is a mystery, but certainly not the first time Hollywood has promoted utter mediocrities with oversized egos and Jewish surnames.
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | October 29, 2019 1:56 PM |
r36. The finale of LOST didn't end J. J. Abrams' career. And I still regret the time I wasted on watching that particular show.
| by Anonymous | reply 37 | October 29, 2019 2:00 PM |
I am ashamed that I also thought of JJ Abrams when reading R36's post.
| by Anonymous | reply 38 | October 29, 2019 2:01 PM |
[quote]How does Netflix have so much money to throw around? Do they even recoup the amounts they payout?
It's important to remember that Netflix does make a lot of money. They have almost 160 million subscribers around the globe.
But yes, they do take on a lot of debt because they are obsessed with building up their library of original content as much as possible.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 39 | October 29, 2019 2:02 PM |
They were on my shit list ever since they came up with that “Confederate” garbage. I knew then that they’d be losers post-GOT. It took the rest of you a few years to catch up.
| by Anonymous | reply 40 | October 29, 2019 2:03 PM |
It's not rocket science r36, David and Dan created the biggest show in the world.
Yes it is easy to criticize and I definitely have, but at the of the day the bottom line is they created the biggest show in the world and that leads to more opportunities.
Same with JJ Abrams, his projects make money.
It's a business, you make money, you get more money and more opportunities.
| by Anonymous | reply 41 | October 29, 2019 2:14 PM |
R29 Apparently their reputations in the business were spiked somewhere around season seven of GOT. They started getting lippy with the suits at HBO, not meeting deadlines, and cutting corners, all of which pissed off the studio. They got too big for their britches after the success of season six and started thinking it was okay to act like entitled teenage boys attempting to piss of their parents, which didn’t work out in their favor because surprise surprise, they aren’t teenage boys they’re grown men with obligations and contracts, and HBO isn’t a parent it’s a company. When you piss off a parent they’ll forgive you because they have to. A company doesn’t have to forgive an asshole’s mistakes.
| by Anonymous | reply 42 | October 29, 2019 2:42 PM |
R35 I always find that funny. The new Star Wars films look gorgeous, but at the end of the day nobody’s going to look at Disney films with artistic merit anymore. The Disney renaissance is never going to happen again, and as a result they won’t be forced into creativity and artistry. They can keep making schlock and it’ll be fine, because it makes money. And that’s all they care about at the end of the day: money. The artistry of the renaissance era of Disney was an afterthought.
| by Anonymous | reply 43 | October 29, 2019 2:48 PM |
[quote]Martin Scorcese has been arguing for the past month.
Martin Scorcese has been arguing for the past thirty years.
| by Anonymous | reply 44 | October 29, 2019 2:51 PM |
They're both supremely fuckable... hot men.
| by Anonymous | reply 45 | October 29, 2019 4:56 PM |
I don't know. Benioff's more traditionally dashing, but Weiss always catches my eye. I think it's the cute, nerdy face paired with a surprisingly decent bod.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 47 | October 29, 2019 5:01 PM |
[quote] How can they walk away from a contract?
The actual story says they "exited" the Star Wars trilogy, not that they quit. We have to believe that if Disney thought these two were the essential geniuses needed for the Star Wars franchise , then they would never let them go. It doesn't appear that Disney is too broken up about them leaving. So maybe they walked away, or maybe they were gently pushed.
| by Anonymous | reply 48 | October 29, 2019 5:21 PM |
[quote]I think they are hacks as well and will struggle to produce quality content without strong source material to adapt, but they are swimming in money and will be getting their crao greenlit on Netfkix for years.
This is all true. I'll add that this thread, which Vanity Fair wrote an article on, pretty much summed up how little they actually knew about what they were doing.
Yes, they pulled it off in the end but I'm not sure Disney would have wanted to see this going on with the Star Wars franchise.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 49 | October 29, 2019 5:29 PM |
Of course they were pushed out! Even if their Star Wars movies sucked (which they would’ve) they’d still be stinking rich as those movies make money even when crappy thanks to the global box office.
No way would they voluntarily leave (nor would Disney get outmuscled financially by NetFlix), they were gently pushed out.
| by Anonymous | reply 50 | October 29, 2019 5:53 PM |
Clearly both sides were unhappy with the deal and Netflix gave them both a way out.
| by Anonymous | reply 51 | October 29, 2019 5:58 PM |
What I don't understand is why don't the streaming platforms put all differences aside, come together and come up with a united strategy to destroy the old school movie distribution system (movie theaters) and make it go the way of shopping malls? The combined effort of Amazon and Netflix could accomplish that within five to seven years.
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | October 29, 2019 6:01 PM |
Because people like going to the movies.
| by Anonymous | reply 53 | October 29, 2019 6:02 PM |
My interpretation of the Disney reaction to their departure-
[quote] They're wonderful story-tellers, but sooooo busy (Thank the Lord.). We hope to work with them in the future. Or not. Whatever.
| by Anonymous | reply 54 | October 29, 2019 6:03 PM |
R47 Weiss is definitely a sexpot.
| by Anonymous | reply 55 | October 29, 2019 6:23 PM |
At the end of the day, the bottom line is at the end of the day, because the bottom line of the end of the day is that the bottom line is also at the end of the day, thus the end of the day is also the bottom line's bottom line.
| by Anonymous | reply 56 | October 29, 2019 6:25 PM |
I don't know how Hollywood works, but is it possible Disney didn't want to hand them the reigns to Star Wars after what they did to GoT but let Benioff and Weiss give this excuse for leaving the project?
| by Anonymous | reply 57 | October 29, 2019 7:07 PM |
Some news from Deadlin.com (10-29-19) on HBO's Game of Thrones prequel-
[quote] ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel Pilot Starring Naomi Watts Not Going Forward At HBO
[quote] HBO has more Game of Thrones in the pipeline, but the prequel written by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts is no longer happening....
[quote] Word of the Watts-led pilot, penned by Goldman and directed by S.J. Clarkson, not going forward comes after a lengthy post-production, which included re-editing of the initial cut after it was not well received, and rumors about issues during filming in Northern Ireland.
Yeah, good luck in trying to do it without us.
| by Anonymous | reply 58 | October 29, 2019 10:05 PM |
What were the issues with filming?
| by Anonymous | reply 59 | October 29, 2019 10:21 PM |
My first thought on hearing this news was "They were fired, and Disney allowed them to save face by saying they chose Netflix of their own free wills".
I'd bet real money that's what happened.
| by Anonymous | reply 60 | October 29, 2019 11:18 PM |
I’m glad the prequel isn’t going through. Nobody gives a shit about them First Men or the Children Of The Forest, the latter is the worst and dumbest part of the show’s mythology.
| by Anonymous | reply 61 | October 30, 2019 1:19 AM |
HBO is nowhere near done with Game Of Thrones, so at least D&D will get some money in the castoff from that, some sort of residuals or something. Hopefully with the cancellation of Bloodmoon we’ll finally get to see a Robert’s Rebellion prequel series, or the Arya spinoff everybody wants.
| by Anonymous | reply 63 | October 30, 2019 3:08 AM |
Would Disney really go for the optics of being dumped for a better deal with Netflix?
| by Anonymous | reply 64 | October 30, 2019 3:57 AM |
Miss r53 likes be stewed in germ filled theatre chairs, while some frau's crotch fruits scream and throw popcorn at her.
| by Anonymous | reply 65 | October 30, 2019 4:21 AM |
Miss r53 likes be stewed in germ filled theatre chairs, while some frau's crotch fruits scream and throw popcorn at her.
| by Anonymous | reply 66 | October 30, 2019 4:21 AM |
R64 I doubt they care. D & D are jokes to most of the entertainment industry and anybody that enjoyed GOT. Netflix is also getting more and more bad press as they continue to lose subscribers and go further into debt making original content that flops. Disney will be fine. Oceans rise, empires fall, and Disney holds out through the thick of it.
| by Anonymous | reply 67 | October 30, 2019 4:24 AM |
R67 I notice you didn't include nonbinaries in your prediction. Do better!
| by Anonymous | reply 68 | October 30, 2019 5:17 AM |
YAYYY!!!!!
They were never the talent behind Game of Thrones.
| by Anonymous | reply 69 | October 30, 2019 6:04 AM |
The Hollywood Reporter suggests Netflix may have purposefully offered D & D the richest deal simply to fuck with Disney.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 70 | October 31, 2019 1:50 AM |
At the time that D&D signed their Netflix deal, insiders were wondering why Netflix was shelving out so much money to a team that had never produced multiple series at the same time.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 71 | October 31, 2019 1:54 AM |
Jesus, what a couple of no- talent, hack, LOSERS!
Go back to college and take a few writing classes, boys!
| by Anonymous | reply 72 | October 31, 2019 1:57 AM |
Weiss has the better body.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 73 | October 31, 2019 2:05 AM |
Small tight body. The other one has moobs, but a gorgeous face (from certain angles)
| by Anonymous | reply 74 | October 31, 2019 4:01 AM |
[quote]The same is true for HBO, the duo's decade-plus home, which sources say was unwilling to offer the bid they wanted. Instead, HBO parent WarnerMedia is in final talks for a $500 million pact with J.J. Abrams — who already has three shows on the network.
Now, if only people would get a clue about Abrams...
| by Anonymous | reply 75 | October 31, 2019 4:29 AM |
R75 Abrams is in charge of this project? Oh god. He may do worse damage than Benioff and Weiss.
| by Anonymous | reply 76 | October 31, 2019 4:35 AM |
[quote][R75] Abrams is in charge of this project? Oh god. He may do worse damage than Benioff and Weiss.
I have no idea where you got that.
Read the quote more closely.
| by Anonymous | reply 77 | October 31, 2019 4:39 AM |
Variety article (clearly sourced from D&D given the very flattering photo they used of each of them) blames Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm's stranglehold over creative control as the reason D&D left the project.
D&D wanted to do a film about the origin of the Jedi, but their ideas were shot down.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 78 | October 31, 2019 1:47 PM |
[quote]Variety article (clearly sourced from D&D given the very flattering photo they used of each of them) blames Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm's stranglehold over creative control as the reason D&D left the project.
Frankly, given how badly the final season and finale of GoT were, I can see it going either way.
| by Anonymous | reply 79 | October 31, 2019 2:38 PM |
Those "boys" are 49 and 48, and are very much not boys.
| by Anonymous | reply 81 | October 31, 2019 4:58 PM |
Are they married, single, have kids? Are they gay?
| by Anonymous | reply 82 | October 31, 2019 5:05 PM |
They're both married with kids.
| by Anonymous | reply 83 | October 31, 2019 5:12 PM |
Disney and Lucasfilm need a better way of vetting their writer and director hires. Everyone they initially hire for a movie either quits or gets fired.
| by Anonymous | reply 84 | October 31, 2019 5:19 PM |
Why has the GoT cast gossip thread been deleted? Has somebody finally posted something juicy?
| by Anonymous | reply 85 | November 10, 2019 4:37 AM |
They didn’t, they were fired.
| by Anonymous | reply 86 | November 10, 2019 4:39 AM |
GOOD. They would have ruined it.
They're not the creative geniuses behind GAME OF THRONES. R. R. Martin was.
| by Anonymous | reply 88 | March 9, 2021 10:00 AM |
