• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Arts & EntertainmentDisney

Disney Has Hired the Showrunners of ‘Game of Thrones’ to Develop a Series of New ‘Star Wars’ Films

By
Rachel King
Rachel King
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Rachel King
Rachel King
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 6, 2018, 4:08 PM ET

It’s a big week at Lucasfilm.

Just a day after unveiling the long-awaited teaser trailer to its next film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Disney-owned production company announced it has hired the creative minds behind the biggest show on this planet to write and produce a brand-new series of Star Wars movies.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are the show runners (as well as writers and directors) of Game of Thrones, which will be wrapping up with its last season airing in 2019. The pair had been expected to get to work on another program for HBO—an alternative history series titled Confederate—which was instantly hit with backlash when it was announced last July.

That show is not yet in active production, but Benioff and Weiss clearly have bigger plans on that twin sun horizon. Similar to Rian Johnson’s mysterious new trilogy announced during a Disney earnings call (DIS) last November, the Weiss and Benioff-penned films will operate outside the episodic “Skywalker Saga,” which would include Disney’s recent productions, The Force Awakens in 2015 and The Last Jedi in 2017. Disney and Lucasfilm haven’t offered any further details as to what these movies will cover or even how many there will be. It’s possible they could also function as a group of standalone films, like 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

However, there is a glaring issue that cannot be ignored with this announcement: Lucasfilm has yet to hire a woman or person of color to helm one of its blockbuster films.

Questions about that issue came up repeatedly during the The Last Jedi press tour in December, with Johnson effectively answering on behalf of the studio that that is something he wants to see happen soon. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy got into some hot water over the topic in late 2016, initially saying in an interview with Variety that the studio wants to hire a female filmmaker to direct a Star Wars movie, but adding that “they’re gigantic films, and you can’t come into them with essentially no experience.” She clarified soon thereafter that “we have every intention of giving someone an opportunity.”

It almost looked like Lucasfilm was finally going to make some progress on this front when rumors swirled in January after Reed Moreno, director and executive producer on Hulu’s acclaimed hit The Handmaid’s Tale, said she had a meeting with Kennedy. But after buzz quickly took over social media and Star Wars Reddit forums, Moreno quickly shot down rumors that she had made any kind of deal or plans.

Disney and Lucasfilm have been lauded, deservedly so, for pushing to diversify its casting choices and center the last three of its Star Wars films around two female protagonists—much to the applause of critics and most audience goers, but also the chagrin of a sub-sect of Internet trolls, who responded maliciously by trying to tank the Rotten Tomatoes audience score for The Last Jedi.

As Kennedy described in Tuesday’s announcement, Weiss and Benioff are “some of the best storytellers working today,” and Game of Thrones is a testament to that. Surely, fans will happily hand over their money for tickets—but they likely would for any movie with the words Star Wars attached to it. (You only have to look at the historical box office success of the much-derided Prequel Trilogy to know that is true.) Without a doubt, Disney and Lucasfilm have the financial security to take more chances with the franchise, and one would hope they would take advantage of that opportunity with a more diverse group of storytellers—sooner rather than later.

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Rachel King
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

target
Retailearnings
Target posts biggest jump in comparable sales in 4 years as turnaround takes shape
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressMay 20, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo of Brian Stelter
Arts & EntertainmentWorkplace Innovation Summit
CNN analyst and ‘The Morning Show’ producer says Stephen Colbert is a role model for his ‘positive’ outlook on his show ending
By Emma BurleighMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
‘Change the World’ idealism is dying in Silicon Valley. We’ll miss it when it’s gone
CommentarySilicon Valley
‘Change the World’ idealism is dying in Silicon Valley. We’ll miss it when it’s gone
By Jonathan WeberMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
Attendees sit to watch a speech during the 2023 Consensus conference in Austin, Texas
CryptoCryptocurrency
A strip club scandal at a major crypto industry event triggers sponsor backlash
By Jack KubinecMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
michael
Arts & EntertainmentBox office
Moviegoers still hungry for sanitized Michael Jackson biopic, knocking ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ off top spot
By Lindsey Bahr and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
shakira
LawTaxes
Shakira will get a $64 million refund from the Spanish government after judge finds she’s not a tax fraud after all
By The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
21 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
8 days ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
Travel & Leisure
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
Personal Finance
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
By Courtney Vinopal and HR BrewMay 18, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.