The Scene staff
The Walt Disney Co. continues to humiliate itself. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the duo who brought us the critically acclaimed “Game of Thrones” series on HBO, announced in a media statement that they would no longer be directing the next “Star Wars” trilogy that they promised more than a year ago. It’s yet another example of the many failures that have befallen the once-beloved space opera since Disney bought the rights back in 2012.
It’s now an unignorable fact that Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, clearly has no idea what she’s doing with the franchise. It’s hard to place the blame on a single individual, because Lucasfilm is a huge company overseen by an even bigger company (Disney). However, the person who is most responsible for a company’s successes and failures is its president. And Kennedy has repeatedly proven that she is not only a terrible leader, but a terrible businesswoman.
Benioff and Weiss gave “time restraints” as their excuse for pulling out of the project. “We love ‘Star Wars,’” they said in a statement. “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. But there are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both ‘Star Wars’ and our Netflix projects. So we are regretfully stepping away.”
The two signed an estimated $250 million, five-year deal with the streaming giant Netflix back in August. It seems the idea of having the freedom to create their own stories was more enticing than making movies in a legendary 30-year-old franchise.
Benioff and Weiss’ revelation was nothing less than bizarre. This sort of thing never happens in Hollywood. Studios don’t boast about signing on popular directors just to have them leave for a project with a rival production company. The whole situation is simply ludicrous.
First of all, who leaves a trilogy? What insurmountable level of ignorance would a person (or two people) have to sign a multimillion-dollar deal, only to change their minds before the ink has even dried? Most importantly, this is not just any old franchise we’re talking about here. It’s not some Adam Sandler comedy that gets sequels cranked out every six months. This is “Star Wars”! Has the world gone mad? How is even possible to pass on creating a “Star Wars” film, let alone a trilogy, for Christ’s sake?
It seems as if these two clowns are not only so incompetent they’d give Kathleen Kennedy a run for her money, but they’re also very accomplished liars. Back to their statement: “We love ‘Star Wars.’ When George Lucas built it, he built us, too.” This should make every real “Star Wars” fan’s blood boil. Do these two hacks actually think that anyone is going to believe their disgusting falsehoods?
Benioff and Weiss are NOT true “Star Wars” fans. How do I know? It’s every fan’s biggest dream to make a “Star Wars” movie. To have your own fingerprint on something that means so much to you, something so larger than life. … It’s hard to comprehend its importance, not only to you, but to the world. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. No, it’s bigger than that. Because your film would become immortalized alongside the others, outliving you, your children and your grandchildren. Your name would be written into the stars as an artist who contributed to the greatest story and universe ever made.
So what did these two “fans” have to say to this? “No thanks, we’ll pass.” How dare you? What a slap to the face. I’d give anything, and I mean ANYTHING, just to be able to yell “Action!” on set for a “Star Wars” film, just once in my life. You’re too busy, you say? If Benioff and Weiss were fans, even in the slightest sense, they would know that for “Star Wars,” you make time. You kiss the boots of whatever executive allowed you to have this opportunity. You understand the magnitude of the responsibility and the privilege of being able to create a “Star Wars” film.
I can’t say that I was excited about the prospect of a Benioff and Weiss trilogy, but now that I know for a fact that they’re just another pair of soulless hacks who don’t give a damn about the importance of storytelling, good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Enjoy ruining some other property, just like you ruined “Game of Thrones.” You anti-Christs of cinema make me sick. Where do they keep coming from?