In continuing to prove that modern Hollywood franchise creativity basically amounts to nothing more than ‘origin stories for stuff’, former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have revealed that should it have ever come to fruition, their failed Star Wars trilogy would have centered around exploring the earliest days of the Jedi Order.
The creative duo colloquially known as ‘D&D’ opened up about their once-hopeful attempt to explore a certain galaxy far, far away while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter’s James Hibberd in promotion of their upcoming Netflix-produced television adaptation of Chinese author Liu Cixin’s seminal sci-fi book The Three-Body Problem.
Amidst a discussion of their post-Game of Thrones careers, the pair were eventually pressed by Hibberd for details on their short-lived and ultimately unproductive time with Lucasfilm, particularly as it regarded to their plans for their shelved Star Wars trilogy.
“We wanted to do The First Jedi.” Benioff in turn detailed. “Basically how the Jedi Order came to be, why it came to be, the first lightsaber…”
Jumping off of his partner’s point, Weiss then noted, “And we were annoyed as hell when [Rian Johnson, the duo’s longtime friend and 3BP producer] called his movie The Last Jedi. He completely destroyed the obvious title for what we were working on.”
From there, Hibberd then asked if they could provide any sort of explanation as to just why the pair’s Force-filled project never came to light, to which Benioff admitted, “[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,” he added. “And we totally get it. It’s their company and their IP, but we weren’t the droids they were looking for.”
The story of D&D’s ill-fated attempt to dance with the Jedi first began in 2018 when, hot off the success of their first seven seasons of Game of Thrones, the pair were tapped by Lucasfilm to produce a trilogy of films all their own.
“David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in announcing their hiring to the studio. “Their command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting.”
Likewise, D&D beamed at the time, “In the summer of 1977 we traveled to a galaxy far, far away, and we’ve been dreaming of it ever since. We are honored by the opportunity, a little terrified by the responsibility, and so excited to get started as soon as the final season of Game of Thrones is complete.”
Then, just one year and near-universally panned final season of Game of Thrones later – the latter of which many have speculated played into their subsequent decision, the pair announced that they would be stepping away from their plans for Star Wars due to supposed time constraints.
In a statement provided to Deadline, the pair said of their exit, “We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us too. Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime, and we will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything.”
Further, Kennedy assured D&D that despite their abrupt departure, Lucasfilm would still be holding out “hope to include them in the journey forward when they are able to step away from their busy schedule to focus on Star Wars.”
As noted above, despite D&D’s ostensible belief that their exploration of the Jedi’s origin would be something novel in the current media landscape, such tired stories have been the norm for any studio attempting to capitalize on a given IP.
For the best example of this trend, look no further than fellow Star Wars franchise entry Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Therein, rather than actually explore the titular rogue’s actual character, director Ron Howard and writers Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan instead used the film’s over-two-hour-run-time to heavy-handedly detail just how Han Solo got all of his ‘stuff’ – his name, his ship, his best friend, his gun – Hell, even the golden dice that Disney has tried to retroactively portray as one of his most sentimental items.
D&D’s adaptation of The Three-Body Problem is currently set to hit Netflix on March 21st.