David Benioff & D.B. Weiss’ Star Wars film series reportedly takes place during the Old Republic, and the first installment is said to begin filming in the fall. This year, the biggest event in the Star Wars franchise is the premiere of Episode IX, which concludes the ongoing sequel trilogy and the Skywalker saga as a whole. But as one era for the property ends, another begins. Lucasfilm is actively developing two separate film trilogies from Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss. Both of these are completely disconnected from the Skywalker story and will look to expand the canon in a number of ways.

Of course, these movies have yet to secure release dates, so information about them is rather limited. The creative forces behind the two trilogies have kept busy working on different projects recently; Johnson is in post-production on his mystery-thriller Knives Out, while Benioff & Weiss have of course been overseeing the final season of Game of Thrones. But with HBO’s fantasy hit coming to a close this year, the two will be turning their attention to the galaxy far, far away soon. And now, fans may know what they have in mind for their films.

According to Star Wars News Net, Benioff & Weiss’ trilogy will be set during the days of the Old Republic, “hundreds of years prior to the Skywalkers.” Their source described it as “Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings” and stated filming will commence this fall. Of course, this is just a rumor for the time being, so fans should keep their grains of salt handy.

Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and unveiled plans for new movies, the Old Republic has long been a time period viewers have yearned to see on the big screen. Should this information pan out, Benioff & Weiss read as the ideal pair to bring these films to life. Their experience on Game of Thrones proved they have the ability to handle iconic and beloved mythology, presenting it in entertaining and compelling ways. They’d also be in their element working within the confines of a fantasy epic. The notion of Star Wars blended with Lord of the Rings brings to mind imagery of big-scale battles a la Helm’s Deep or Minas Tirith in a galaxy far, far away setting. That has the potential to be unlike anything fans have seen in a Star Wars movie before, and it’ll be exciting to see what Benioff & Weiss come up with. Hopefully, this means Darth Bane could be a key figure in the series.

The other interesting bit here is the targeted filming date of the fall, which implies there will be official updates on this project within the next several months. Perhaps Lucasfilm will reveal some information about their future plans at Celebration Chicago, taking place in April. While the primary focus of the convention will be on Episode IX, it would be nice if the studio shed some light on what’s ahead. There are a number of rumors and reports about the next slate of Star Wars movies and TV shows, so a little bit of clarity would be greatly appreciated. Many expected Star Wars to take a short break post-Episode IX, but maybe they’ll just keep chugging along.

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Source: SWNN

  • Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20