Star Wars: Everything We Know About Benioff & Weiss’ Unmade Movies

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were once tapped to produce a set of Star Wars movies that were later canceled, and some details about the films survived being scrapped. There have been several canceled Star Wars movies over the years, but Benioff and Weiss’ may have been the largest. Their project was, at one time, one of the most exciting things in the entire franchise. Benioff and Weiss’ movies would have brought a new area of the Star Wars timeline into canon, but now, there are very few details about its story, and the pair’s split with Lucasfilm, available.

Benioff and Weiss are best known for being the showrunners behind Game of Thrones, a TV adaptation of a series of books. They’ve continued their streak of creating adaptations with 3 Body Problem, but they were once chosen to write a new story. Benioff and Weiss were confirmed to be making Star Wars movies in 2018, but by 2019, their project had been canceled. While their movies will never see the screen, they still have an effect on upcoming Star Wars movies, so understanding what they could have been is important to the future of the franchise.

Benioff & Weiss Wanted To Tell The Story Of The First Jedi

In a recent interview, Benioff and Weiss revealed details about their Star Wars movie. Benioff and Weiss’ initial plan was to tell the origin story of the entire Jedi Order and, more specifically, the first Jedi, also known as the Prime Jedi. Their movie would have answered many of the franchise’s long-standing mysteries, such as how the first lightsaber was created and who the first Jedi were. While it would be the first entry into Star Wars‘ current official canon, the story of the first group of Jedi has been told in Legends before, so Benioff and Weiss may have intended to adapt parts of their existing story.

Benioff & Weiss’ Movie Would Have Started A New Trilogy

According to the known facts about Benioff and Weiss’ time with Star Wars, they were signed on for more than just one movie. Benioff and Weiss’ Star Wars movie was supposed to be the first installment in a new trilogy outside of the Skywalker saga. While it wasn’t confirmed that they would have been the creative lead of the entire trilogy, they were supposed to write at least the first film. The next movies could have then been handed to other creators, like the sequel trilogy was, but there’s evidence to suggest they could have taken control of the entire trilogy.

The trilogy was scrapped only a year after they were confirmed to be working on it, but the pair made considerable progress in writing it. Weiss said they had a basic roadmap for the trilogy, and that they had gotten, “relatively far, story-wise, with the first one.” The fact that they were already coming up with ideas for the last two films indicates that they could have had a significant voice in their development. It also shows how they intended for the story to be told as a trilogy from the beginning, though Lucasfilm didn’t necessarily agree on the story’s merit.

Lucasfilm Rejected Benioff & Weiss’ Pitch

Benioff and Weiss had a clear idea of what direction they wanted to take with their Star Wars trilogy. Despite their idea for a story about the first Jedi, Benioff said their pitch was ultimately rejected by Lucasfilm.

“[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.”

It isn’t clear exactly why Lucasfilm rejected their pitch, as at least the setting would survive for a different movie, the rejection seems to have boiled down to creative differences. Benioff and Weiss had already begun developing their vision for the Jedi Order’s origin story, so when Lucasfilm rejected their pitch, they likely failed to find a middle ground.

Why Lucasfilm Parted Ways With Benioff & Weiss

In addition to scrapping their project, Lucasfilm also severed its business ties with Benioff and Weiss. A reportedly major contributing factor to that decision was Benioff and Weiss’ $250 million dollar deal with Netflix, which they signed in summer 2019. That deal stipulated that Benioff and Weiss would work with Netflix exclusively, though since their agreement with Lucasfilm predated Netflix’s deal, they were still allowed to work on the trilogy. While there was some room for them to work with both Netflix and Lucasfilm, Benioff and Weiss officially stated they left Star Wars because they couldn’t give the franchise their full attention with the added workload from Netflix.

Some reports suggested that Lucasfilm took exception to Benioff and Weiss’ deal with Netflix, though. The company reportedly doubted that they could fulfill their agreements while working on other projects. Benioff and Weiss reportedly refused to begin producing their first Star Wars movie until the final season of Game of Thrones was completed. Allegedly, Lucasfilm saw that as a sign that the pair couldn’t manage their commitments to both Star Wars and Netflix. This was also at a time when Star Wars had a much less certain standing after the failure of Solo and before the success of The Mandalorian, so the next project required complete dedication.

The tension from their deal with Netflix also likely fueled perhaps the biggest factor in the split: Benioff and Weiss’ lack of creative control with the Star Wars franchise. Lucasfilm and its president, Kathleen Kennedy, reportedly have a very hands-on approach to Star Wars films and often encourage creators to play it safe with their scripts. Kennedy and Lucasfilm have also reportedly been considered stubborn when creative differences arise, so Benioff and Weiss made it clear that they wanted more creative freedom than they could have had with Star Wars.

The final reason for the split could have been that Benioff and Weiss reportedly had qualms about the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom. After the backlash they received from the Game of Thrones finale, the duo wanted to avoid even more backlash from audiences. Since Star Wars had some notoriously harsh viewers at the time, who had many complaints about the then-newly released The Last Jedi, it seemed similar to the Game of Thrones audience. It may not have been the main factor in their split, but it likely contributed to the decision.

James Mangold’s Movie Isn’t A Direct Replacement For Benioff & Weiss’ Film

Lucasfilm eventually came around to the idea of a movie about the origins of the Jedi Order, though with a different creator at the helm. The plan for a movie directed by James Mangold and titled Dawn of the Jedi was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023. While they will be covering the same era of the Star Wars timeline, Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi won’t be the same as Benioff and Weiss’ pitched trilogy.

One of the main differences is that Mangold’s film is only confirmed to be a single movie, whereas Benioff and Weiss’ was always meant to be the start of a trilogy. Mangold will also likely bring his unique directorial style from past projects like Logan and Walk the Line, which should make it significantly different from the original idea for the Jedi origin story. There aren’t currently any story details available about either version of the story, so there’s no way to tell just how different they will be.

Though Mangold’s take on the first Jedi will be his own, it could still be influenced by Benioff and Weiss’ plans. Lucasfilm has a history of recycling previous ideas from scrapped projects, so aspects of the canceled trilogy could survive in the new film. That will likely be the only way any details of their story will reach general audiences, as despite the regret Benioff and Weiss have expressed at not being able to finish the project, they’ve also stated they have no intention of returning to the Star Wars franchise.