It’s not exactly a hot take to say Game Of Thrones fans aren’t happy with how the last season went. I’m a little more defensive of the final few episodes than most people, and even I would say Season 8 has some major issues. Exactly who is responsible for the downfall, however, is an argument fans are still having. Recently, someone on social media pointed the finger at George RR Martin and accused him of being the real culprit, and let’s just say the diehards did not respond positively.

It all started a few days ago when a user made a thread in Reddit’s ever popular Unpopular Opinion sub. They argued that the acclaimed author ruined the show because he never finished his novels. The user claimed that showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss “signed up” to direct and write a TV show based off source material, and because the conclusion to the source material never came, the executive producers had to create their own ending to someone else’s work, which is “100x harder.”

The argument sounds very reasonable on paper. Fans have been complaining for years about the slow progress of Martin’s novels, and the acclaimed HBO show was finished before the books, which still haven’t come. Hundreds of comments and thousands of engagements, however, have made it clear many, many diehards disagree.

There are several reasons why so many are unwilling to blame Martin, but the most common definitely has to do with the source material itself. Numerous GOT fans in the thread pointed out how little of the books Benioff and Weiss actually adapted. The first two seasons of the show are fairly faithful adaptations of Martin’s books, but they start diverging very regularly late in the show, especially in Season 5 and beyond. Here’s a sample comment that has almost 1,000 likes…

There’s also the issue of the pacing and the episode count. The thing that bothered me most as an obsessive Game Of Thrones fan was how fast everything moved, especially during the 7th and 8th seasons. It was like the showrunners were in a rush to get things over with, which, of course, they were because they were planning to go make Star Wars movies.

To me, I didn’t really have a problem with the basics of what happened during the ending (although I still hate the Bran stuff). It was more that it was hard to get on board with the trajectory because it all happened so quickly. The early seasons are such a slow build. You really spend time with the characters and can see why they make the decisions they do. We still get a little foreshadowing and character development in the later seasons, but what we do get is wedged between so many “and this happened” moments. Here’s another comment from a user…

It’s worth noting that even though an overwhelming majority of users were very defensive of Martin and said he was not to blame, there were a very tangible percentage who were happy to throw at least a little shade at Martin. Overwhelmingly, people blamed Benioff & Weiss for the overall issues but admitted Martin has taken forever to finish his novels. Some claimed he’s taking so long because it’s impossible to weave together all the complicated storylines. Others claimed he’s never going to finish the books because the stories are supposed to be ongoing and never have a real conclusion like real life.

Regardless of who is to blame for what happened during Season 8, I prefer to look at the show positively. The characters, worldbuilding and intrigue of the first six seasons are unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television, and I’m really enjoying the first spinoff House Of The Dragon, as well (even if it has the same episode count problems). That’s a credit to George RR Martin and everyone else involved, especially showrunners Benioff and Weiss.

The movie branch of the Star Wars franchise has been in an interesting position over the past several years, as no theatrical films have been released since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Some films have since entered production, thankfully, though fans were recently met with the news of a scrapped production – a film about Adam Driver’s Ben Solo. Fans lit up social media when sharing their thoughts on the since-rejected script, and it marks yet another big-screen SW production that’s bitten the dust in recent years.

Ben Solo’s Story Would’ve Been Continued In A Film From An A+ Director

Adam Driver recently revealed he teamed up with acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh to develop a story called The Hunt for Ben Solo. The movie would’ve been set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and focused on the mysterious resurrection of Solo – formerly known as Kylo Ren. Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt produced an outline and pitched it to the Lucasfilm execs, including company president Kathleen Kennedy. Scott Z. Burns was initially commissioned to write a script, but the project ultimately didn’t happen.

Per the Marriage Story alum, it was Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman who shot down the idea, as they were unclear as to how Solo could still be alive. Burns’ screenplay received some massive praise from Driver, who referred to it as “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.” Driver also said he felt he had some “unfinished business” with Ben.

For his part, Steven Soderbergh – Out of Sight, Traffic, the Ocean’s Trilogy and more – explained on Bluesky that he “did not enjoy lying about the existence of THE HUNT FOR BEN SOLO” but that “it really did need to remain a secret…until now!” In a separate post, Soderbergh added further details regarding the corporate side of the situation:

Star Wars fans have been sounding off on the scrapped project, with many now campaigning for it to happen. Devotees even arranged for an airplane with a banner reading, “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” to be flown over the Disney offices. The House of Mouse itself has yet to formally respond to the buzz, though a recent video posting of TROS’ final battle convinced some that the studio was trolling fans. This honestly feels like another blow for a fanbase that’s already seen other projects fall by the wayside.

What Other Star Wars Projects Ended Up Being Scrapped?

There’s quite a history of scrapped or discarded Star Wars projects, particularly when it comes to films. In 2018, it was reported that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the creators of Game of Thrones, would write and produce a new trilogy of SW films, which would theoretically focus on the rise of the Jedi Order. In 2024, Weiss and Benioff didn’t seem bullish about the movies happening due to James Mangold’s (later-announced) movie overlapping with theirs in some ways narratively.

In 2020, it was also reported that Lucasfilm tapped Sleight and Devotion director J.D. Dillard to helm a Star Wars movie. Plot details were (unsurprisingly) kept under wraps at the time. Plans changed by 2022, though, as it was at that time it was reported that Dillard’s film had been dropped, making the SW franchise’s movie future more uncertain.

At present, there are a few other productions that remain in limbo in some ways, including James Mangold’s film about the origins of the Jedi as well as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film about the new Jedi Order, which would mark the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. Also, this year, Last Jedi director Rian Johnson said he’s still open to making his trilogy of films, which was originally announced in 2017 but was later said to be unprioritized by Lucasfilm. The status of films from Patty Jenkins and Taika Waititi are also unclear.

Fans can, at the very least, look forward to The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, which are set to be released in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Still, some would likely argue that information doesn’t take away the sting of losing The Hunt for Ben Solo or any other scrapped SW fare. For now, let’s pour one out for those projects, and those who want to check out movies and TV shows set within the galaxy far, far away can stream them with a Disney+ subscription.

When it comes to running megahit shows like Stranger Things or Games of Thrones, the saying that comes to my mind is “heavy is the head that wears the crown.” Both series have an immense and passionate fanbases, and it takes a lot of time and effort to make them. Therefore, it feels like those who run the shows might feel like they live in a gilded cage.

To that point, Matthew Modine said the Duffer Brothers are ready to be done with their show on Netflix’s 2025 schedule, in part, for that reason. And it reminds me a lot of how the co-creator of GOT felt about ending the fantasy series and not being involved in futre projects.

Matthew Modine Said The Duffer Brothers Are Ready To Be Done With Stranger Things

As you likely know, Season 5 of Stranger Things will come out on the 2025 TV schedule, and it will mark the end of an era. Anticipation is high, and we know we’re in for some epic, feature-length episodes that the creative team has been working on for well over a year. When asked about what’s to come, Dr. Brenner actor Matthew Modine told ScreenRant that “it’s going to be amazing.” However, he also said he thinks the Duffers are ready to move on:

For the last year and change, Matt and Ross Duffer have been providing updates about filming Season 5, and now the endgame is in sight. Everyone in the cast and crew has worked very hard on this show, and it has to be all-consuming. So, Modine’s comments, while a bit shocking, do make sense.

While I know co-creators are giving their all to Stranger Things and care a lot about it, I also get why they’d want to move on. They’ve dedicated so much time and work to this show, and I imagine they are ready to work on other projects. Do you know who that sounds a lot like? The man who ran Game of Thrones.

Modine’s Comments Are In Line With How Game Of Thrones' Co-Creator Felt About Ending Their Show

Back in 2022, right when House of the Dragon was coming out, Game of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss spoke about his future with the franchise. While there is a wealth of GOT shows in the works, he has no intention of being part of them, telling EW:

So don’t expect him to be involved with the latest spinoff, but do expect more work from him soon.

Based on Modine’s comments, it seems that the Duffers feel the same way. While they obviously care deeply about Stranger Things, and I'm sure Season 5 will be epic, I get why they’re ready to move on.

They’ve been working on this show for basically a decade, and that’s been their priority. Plus, with the expectations and pressure that come with shows like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones, it really must feel like living in a gilded cage.

So, overall, I’m glad they get to move on soon. However, before that happens, we have one more trip to the Upside Down planned. So, make sure you have your Netflix subscription ready because Stranger Things 5 is coming.

One of the most highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptations of 2024 arrived this month, along with some otherworldly visitors, as David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ sci-fi saga 3 Body Problem debuted for streaming audiences with Netflix subscriptions. The new show earned a barrage of mixed reviews from critics, and while CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell said it will reward viewers’ patience and curiosity, it’s clear that this series’ initial season fell short of earning the same kinds of acclaim that the first batch of Game of Thrones eps earned when they hit HBO back in 2011.

Someone who found 3 Body Problem to be a big winner right out the gate, however, is a director who’s pretty well-versed in the science fiction genre, Rian Johnson. The filmmaker delivered arguably the most polarizing Star Wars chapter to date, Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, and preceded that with the awesome time-traveling shenanigans of Looper. Johnson took to X to share his recommendation, saying:

I can’t imagine even the most critical viewers of 3 Body Problem could argue against the idea that the show goes to some wild places, both literally and figuratively. The dual-timeline narrative centers in part on the brilliant astrophysicist Ye Wenjie (Rosaline Chao, Zine Tseng), whose tragic past gives way to a future working at a highly classified military base, where her choices change the course of history and humanity itself.

As Johnson put it, this show’s scale is massive, and brings to life many of the awe-inspiring moments from the first novel in author Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. And the director offers up his word as a sign of proof that 3 Body Problem is worth the viewing experience. Which may not hold a lot of weight with those who despised The Last Jedi (or even the Knives Out films), but for the swath of sci-fi fans who champion Johnson’s work, that bit of raving might just convince someone to watch who was previously on the fence.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss landed the 3 Body Problem adaptation back in 2020, more than a year after the heavily criticized final season of Game of Thrones, which furthered the duo’s deviation from the still unfinished source material from George R.R. Martin. Making matters more complicated was the fact that both showrunners were rather open about wanting to move on and away from the epic fantasy, and viewers felt the latter seasons reflected their wandering mindsets. 

So it’s possible (bordering on likely) that at least some of the viewers and critics streaming 3 Body Problem came into it with GoT on the brain, which may have affected their viewing experiences. But that might not have been an issue for anyone who, say, only watched the very first Thrones season, which is currently still rocking way better numbers than Netflix series’s debut.

At the moment, 3 Body Problem is sitting well enough, and free from Rotten status, with an average critic score of 76%, while the audience average is slightly lower at 72%. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones’ first season is still holding strong to its 90% critics score, while more than 5,000 viewers have pushed for its audience score to top out at 96%. 

As such, Benioff and Weiss’ show may need another season to potentially get closer to their previous critical heights with the Lanniesters and Starks. Whether that season will get ordered or not no doubt depends on how long 3 Body Problem can bury itself within the streaming service’s Top 10 rankings. It’s been steady in the #2 slot, but that probably won’t be good enough unless it remains there for months on end.

The co-creators knew the pressure was on when it came to following up Game of Thrones, and the scope of 3 Body Problem certainly reflects that. Will audiences be kinder to this sci-fi show than they were the latter days in Westeros or Rian Johnson’s chapter in the Skywalker Saga? If only there was a way to ask ourselves in the future.

Remember the good ol’ days? When there was a new season of Game of Thrones on the horizon and you would frantically search every corner of the internet to find out any tidbit you could about what was next? You wanted to know it all: Who was going to die? Who was going to betray an ally? Which character was gonna get a hilariously accurate one-liner? For the love of all that is holy, who is going to be naked?! Well, the hit’s co-creators were on to us, and they went to extreme lengths to hide spoilers even while flying on airplanes, and admitted “we thought we were paranoid.”

What Did Game Of Thrones' Co-Creators Say About Hiding Spoilers While Flying?

Say what you will about the divisive final season of Game of Thrones (which you can revisit with a Max subscription), but please don’t try to pretend that you didn’t spend basically all of the fantasy series’ run obsessed with every little detail about it. From the magnificent Game of Thrones cast to how co-creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff tried not to get “bogged down” in public opinion while working on it, you know you still love it and can’t stop talking about it, even five years after the series finale.

So, it makes complete sense that Benioff and Weiss would have been very careful about spoilers while crafting the Emmy-winning drama. When they recently sat down with ReelBlend hosts Sean O'Connell and Jake Hamilton at South by Southwest to talk about their new sci-fi show (with screenwriter Alexander Woo) for those with a Netflix subscription, 3 Body Problem, they opened up about how working on GOT while flying got kinda tricky. Benioff said:

Egad! It would definitely take some time to get used to people looking over your shoulder and reading/watching your screen to get the goods on what’s coming up next on the megahit you created, right? Weiss continued, noting that he did find a funny workaround:

Yeah, so Weiss was able to get his work done after burying himself and his laptop underneath the flight blanket, but, there were likely a lot of his fellow passengers who thought he’d decided to enjoy some, shall we say, adult entertainment while in the air. And, it sounds like that’s just fine with him, because at least he was able to catch up by the time he landed! You can watch the full video, below:

Their new book to screen adaptation sees the duo reunite with GOT star Liam Cunningham, and they previously talked about the “pressure” of both being a new creator and returning to the small screen with another project, when everyone will wonder, “​​Well, do they still have it?” Luckily, O'Connell’s early reaction to 3 Body Problem, said they do, indeed, “still have it,” and they were able to help bring another intriguing series to viewers…without accidentally spoiling it for anyone.

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have partnered with Alexander Woo to bring the famed science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" to Netflix. The showrunners sat down at this year's SXSW festival to discuss the making of the series, how one scene caused the show's delay, spoiling Game of Thrones while traveling, and more.

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Science-fiction fans have been eating well lately… as the kids say. Heady sci-fi that challenges our thoughts and beliefs can be found in theaters and on streaming platforms, from Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed sequel Dune: Part 2 and the conversations it launches on faith and vengeance, to Rebecca Ferguson’s Silo, and its examinations of societal and judicial powers. Also, Star Trek fans likely will tell you that this is a tremendous time to be a fan of the various series available in that universe. Safe to say, if you love sci-fi, there’s no shortage of options on the menu – to which we now add 3 Body Problem, an intelligent and compelling adaptation that’s coming to Netflix beginning on March 21.

The streaming giant brought 3 Body Problem to SXSW 2024 for a splashy premiere that included the first two episodes of the 8-episode season. 3 Body Problem isn’t the kind of show that’s easily spoiled. There’s far too much happening in the show to reveal everything you will experience. But I do have to talk a bit about plot points for the show’s set up, and tease what’s to come in this reaction. Basically, if you hate spoilers of any sorts, stop reading this reaction now.

Adapted from the novel by Chinese science-fiction author Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem spans decades as it follows an investigation into the smartest members of the world’s scientific community. The source of the investigation, led by the cynical Da Shi (Benedict Wong), traces back to Mongolia in the 1960s, where astrophysicist Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) is recruited for a top-secret military research project involving interstellar communication. 

3 Body Problem ping-pongs between Ye Wenjie’s work on the Mongolian radar base and present day, where a group of scientists begin to see a countdown clock everywhere they look… though the clock stops ticking the moment they stop whatever experimentation they are doing. There’s an element of the story that introduces Virtual Reality, and a harrowing decision that Ye Wenjie makes at the end of episode 2 that will likely compel you to immediately plow through the remainder of the season. Though, predicting the path of 3 Body Problem will be downright impossible.

Many will try 3 Body Problem out of curiosity thanks to its creators: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the men who co-created Game of Thrones for HBO. Their track record post-Thrones has left fans anxious, first following them to a Star Wars project that flamed out, and then an HBO series titled Confederate that would have imagined an alternate reality where the South won the Civil War. Their skill set of juggling multiple characters across diverse and rich storylines serves 3 Body Problem very well, with the narrative seamlessly tracking from the past to the present, and around the globe as the plot expands. (Credit screenwriter Alexander Woo for strategically mapping out the complicated plot, while deliberately ending each episode on the placement of a new puzzle piece that couples you to skip to the next episode.) 

Here, then, is my biggest suggestion for 3 Body Problem. Having had the ability to watch beyond the two episodes shown at SXSW, I can tell you that the story really picks up steam after episode 3. And that the information doled out up front is necessary for some massive payoffs. 3 Body Problem will reward your curiosity, and also your patience. It’s my sincere hope that Benioff, Weiss, and Woo are able to continue with more seasons, because the territories they explore in this material is compelling and provocative, in the most stimulating ways. 

In the mood for a binge? We’ve compiled the best Netflix binge shows that you can dig into while you wait for 3 Body Problem to reach the streaming service. Make the most of your subscription, and enjoy the program.

No matter what your thoughts are on the highly contentious last season and series finale, it’s hard to argue that Game of Thrones isn’t the gift that just keeps on giving. Not only did the long-running drama introduce many of us to actors that we may not have recognized otherwise, but the show’s creators, Dan Weiss and David Benioff, are about to launch their new series for everyone with a Netflix subscription, 3 Body Problem. The book to screen adaptation also stars some former GOT talent, and one has revealed why he passed on a major job to reunite with the showrunners.

What Game Of Thrones Actor Is Reuniting With The Showrunners On 3 Body Problem And Why?

As one of the Game of Thrones characters who appeared the most on the fantasy hit, you will almost certainly recognize Liam Cunningham, as he portrayed Ser Davos Seaworth for 42 episodes. Cunningham also stars in the upcoming 3 Body Problem (which hits the 2024 TV schedule on March 21), and revealed to Collider that he was about to work on something else entirely, but decided to go ahead and join Benioff and Weiss again. As he said:

While it’s certain that having the personal touch of the creators calling him up to encourage The Last Voyage of the Demeter star (who said filming it was a “joy” despite the “difficulty”) to work with them once more, there was something else that went into the decision for him. 

Even though the final season of GOT was mightily knocked by angry fans for not being well written, the chance to give voice to Weiss and Benioff’s dialogue again is what really convinced him to get on board the sci-fi series. Cunningham said that this was “some of the best writing I've ever come across in my life,” even though he once spent almost two years doing Shakespeare.

His glee at accepting the position because of their writing actually makes quite a bit of sense. Not only do many filmed works require solid writing so that the cast has an easier time of selling the situations their characters find themselves in, but the actor once admitted that there was only one thing on Game of Thrones that he told them “I’m not fucking doing it” about, and considering how much we saw Ser Davos, that’s a pretty good record that shows how much he enjoyed what they created for his character.

The Emmy Award-winning series Game of Thrones created a massive fanbase with every season of the HBO show delivering something memorable and epic. While our time in Westeros ended five years ago, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are following up with Netflix to adapt another best-selling book series 3 Body Problem. Considering how popular Game of Thrones was, the two collaborators are feeling the “pressure” of giving audiences a new show, and recently they opened up about it.

David Benioff and D. B. Weiss haven’t had the best luck after their time in Westeros was over. In 2019, they reportedly left their planned Star Wars movie to avoid toxic fans after getting “so bogged down” from Game of Thrones’ polarized final season. Then, their reimagined post-Civil War HBO show got dropped after public backlash. 

After leaving HBO for a development deal with Netflix, Benioff and Weiss have created the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of the 3 Body Problem. However, Benioff confessed to The Wall Street Journal that they are feeling the "pressure:"

The pressure is understandable since Game of Thrones received high praise in each season until the creators “couldn’t win” over viewers during the series finale. Fans complained about the short runtime of the final season and the creative decisions made. To add more to the pressure, 3 Body Problem is one of Netflix’s most expensive projects with per-episode costs reportedly in the $20 million range. With so much money going into this Netflix new release, it makes sense why David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are feeling the pressure.

While there may be a lot of pressure to adapt Liu Cixin’s best-selling book series, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss never seem to back away from a challenge. They said what attracted them to creating a sci-fi series about an alien invasion was the challenge of how “vast” the books were. It was the same deal with the vast world of the medieval fantasy series which continues to prove its depth through upcoming Game of Thrones shows like a Jon Snow sequel series and the animated series The Sea Snake. 

Benioff also said he likes the idea of questioning whether humanity can come together in a meaningful way after an existential world crisis occurs.

Along with the exciting story about a group of scientists teaming with a detective to confront an alien threat, we’ll be seeing some Game of Thrones connections in the show too. This includes a couple of cast members from the GOF family starring in the 2024 Netflix series, including Davos Seaworth’s Liam Cunningham and Samwell Tarly’s John Bradley. David Benioff also teased that the first season of 3 Body Problem won’t be “huge in scope and scale,” but potential seasons will take it up a notch with an increase in special effects.

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss’s next upscale project, 3 Body Problem, has pressures similar to the ones they faced during their HBO fantasy series. Their previous fears during their time in Westeros stemmed from taking on a large-budget series for the first time. This time, it’s about showing audiences they’ve still got it in them to develop an epic series fans will love. 

With so many successful yet crazy expensive Netflix shows, like Stranger Things and The Crown, that drew in viewers, I’m sure 3 Body Problem will be a strong achievement for the streaming service. 

You'll be able to stream 3 Body Problem with a Netflix subscription on March 21 when it premieres on the 2024 TV schedule, and all seasons of Game of Thrones are available with a Max subscription.

Game of Thrones came to an end back in 2019, but creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss are still fielding questions about the world of Westeros after the original series' controversial ending. HBO is continuing to expand that fantasy universe with House of the Dragon and other upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works. While the duo's next project is 3 Body Problem for Netflix subscribers later this year, they weighed in on potentially working on a Thrones spinoff starring Kit Harington as Jon Snow. And honestly, their response to the question is not what I would have predicted.

3 Body Problem arrives on Netflix as one of the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations of 2024, but the two Game of Thrones alums shared their thoughts to THR on a potential return to the world of Westeros many years in the future via the Snow spinoff. David Benioff's initial response was "I don't know," before Dan Weiss elaborated on the hypothetical scenario:

The two seem on board to potentially return to the Game of Thrones universe... eventually, even after their comments earlier this year regarding getting "bogged down in public opinion" about how the epic fantasy series ended. The mention of Kit Harington needing to have done a lot of working out for a Jon Snow sequel set years later is interesting, not least because a Snow series could just give the actor a lighter cloak. After all, he was headed beyond the remains of the Wall at the end of the series, and he presumably has some more varied clothing options among the Free Folk!

The question was about a Jon Snow series set many years in the future, and Weiss placed the actor in his 40s. At the time of writing, Kit Harington is 37. The Thrones creators then weighed in on the idea of a spinoff being more interesting after a passage of some time:

• David Benioff: "Like in The Color of Money — that was a good sequel."
• Dan Weiss: "Maybe when we’re 80 and Kit’s approaching retirement, he can throw that cloak on again with real gray in his beard."
• David Benioff: "One last ride …"

The Color of Money ranks on our list of films that took over a decade to get a sequel, as the 1986 movie was a followup to The Hustler, which had originally released 25 years earlier in 1961. Given that The Color of Money is considered worth the long wait, could that be the case for a Jon Snow series, with David Benioff and Dan Weiss at the helm?

Of course, the creators were clear that the entire idea is very hypothetical, so Game of Thrones fans – whether or not they enjoyed the finale, which was divisive even among the CinemaBlend staff – shouldn't start expecting a Snow series produced by Benioff and Weiss. It's also worth noting that Snow is currently still in development after first being announced in mid-2022, with Kit Harington attached. No series order has been announced just yet. 

Maisie Williams, who played Harington's on-screen sister/cousin Arya Stark, showed her support for the project. For his part, Harington shared his thoughts on Jon's state of mind after being banished to the Wall, calling that fate "the greatest gift and also the greatest curse" for his character. 

For now, the only confirmed Game of Thrones spinoff content set to arrive in the foreseeable future is House of the Dragon Season 2 with war unfolding within the Targaryen family tree. While the second season hasn't received an official premiere date at the time of writing, the series is expected to return in the summer. As for David Benioff and Dan Weiss, you can find 3 Body Problem when it arrives in the 2024 Netflix schedule later this year. 

I don’t think anyone who loves Game of Thrones needs reminding that the last season (and particularly that Season 8 series finale) did not please a lot of people. In fact, after years of being an Emmy-winning, pretty much adored, landmark hit for HBO, 2019 saw fans turn on the drama very quickly as they questioned the combined talents of creators/showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff, and their creative team. As you might expect with the fantasy having such a rabid fanbase, the duo still gets asked about the finale five years later, and have now talked about getting “bogged down” in people’s opinions.

What Do Game Of Thrones’ Showrunners Say About The Finale And Public Opinion Now?

As hard as it is to even get a show on the air, much less have it be as popular as Game of Thrones was in its heyday, it’s got to be even more difficult to figure out how to end that series. We’ve seen hit shows deliver some contentious endings before, but GOT might sit at the top of that heap for how polarizing the series finale was. David Benioff and Dan Weiss knew they were in trouble with a lot of fans in the days leading up to the finale, as they proudly announced that they would spend the day it aired hiding from fans. 

When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter recently, they were asked about all of the negative criticism surrounding Season 8, with Benioff responding:

Though I wasn’t overly fond of GOT Season 8 or the series finale, I certainly didn’t hate much of it and was very aware of the complete uphill battle the showrunners had to bring such a popular series to a close in a satisfying way. If you’re trying to stay true to the story you created in the best way possible, but also paying attention to the (sometimes wildly different) opinions of all the fans/critics, you will absolutely not hit your intended target when writing a series finale. There will be too many cooks in that kitchen, as they say.

Benioff pointed out another extreme downside to tuning into public opinion on your creative work which I hadn’t previously thought of. Let’s say you decide to turn Daenerys Targaryen into a complete tyrant and add Mad Queen, Killer Of Innocents as one of her titles. A lot of people hate it. And after you read dozens (or maybe hundreds) of those opinions, you may become slightly obsessed with finding people who felt the decision made sense. Then you just get stuck in a never ending loop of “Three thousand fans hated X. I wonder if I can find three thousand who loved it?” Bam! You are now “bogged down in public opinion.”

Apparently, though, considering the juggernaut that GOT was, it wasn’t even just the negative feedback that caused issues for the creatives. As Weiss noted:

Oh, boy. If you dream of success like Weiss and Benioff had with GOT, take note. It sounds like once you get it, it might be even harder to focus, because not only might you succumb to the “drug quality” of it, but the pressure of having all eyes on you and a lot of now very high expectations might lead to “weird,” “teeth-grindy and on edge” feelings. Kinda hard to create peacefully under those circumstances, I’d guess. 

So, they took themselves out of the public opinion game as much as they could and just stopped directly looking at the stuff. Something they’ll probably continue to do as their book-to-screen adaptation, 3 Body Problem, arrives for those with a Netflix subscription on March 21.

Where my Game of Thrones peeps at? Look, very few TV shows are completely perfect to every fan all the way through, so if we can put aside the highly debated eighth season of GOT, as well as the much-maligned series finale, I think we can all see that the hit fantasy deserved a lot of the love it did get before it wrapped up in 2019. And, show creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff have been able to ride that previous goodwill to a big payday, in the form of their partnership with Netflix. However, it turns out that they turned down a big House of the Dragon perk from their former bosses at HBO.

What Major Perk Did Game Of Thrones Creators Turn Down With House Of The Dragon And Why?

After a stalled first effort to get a spinoff set in the expansive world of Westeros off the ground, work picked up quickly on House of the Dragon, and few can say that it hasn’t paid off. The prequel premiered to record viewing numbers and delivered a number of shocks that kept people tuning in weekly. David Benioff and Dan Weiss spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about their professional ups and downs since their hit show ended, and revealed that as the creators of that Emmy-winning series, they were guaranteed producer credits on all future spinoffs…but they turned it down. As they explained:

David Benioff: HBO was kind of confused. I remember their lawyer saying, ‘But it’s just money, we’re just going to pay you.’ 

Dan Weiss: I don’t think there is such a thing as free money. For us, if our name is on it, especially that, while being completely detached and uninvolved, it felt like the strain that would come with that hands-off approach — with its success or failure or anything in between — was not worth it.

Along with House of the Dragon Season 2 coming soon-ish, there are six potential spinoffs set in the GOT world currently in the early stages of development. Remember, this pay day as “hands off” producers wouldn't have just been for the first drama in the franchise that successfully made it on air. No, friends. Benioff and Weiss could have gotten paid for all seven of those spinoffs, along with any other prequels or sequels derived from the show they created from the works of George R.R. Martin.

Basically, the duo turned down what any person who’s worked for several years wishes they had access to: money you don’t actually have to work your ass off for. Turning this deal down seems, at first, like a big ol’ dumb idea. That is, until you think about what they’ve already been through with their flagship mega-hit.

Before GOT had even aired its series finale, fans put out a petition to “remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers.” Ouch, right? Well, as of this writing, that petition (which was, again, started in spring 2019) has been signed by over 1,860,000 people, and 56 of those people signed the thing this week! With the hate that so many fans still have over the last season, and the finale in particular, the creative twosome was probably correct that there would really be no “free money” in their future where the franchise is concerned.

They noted that feedback for Thrones was so intense (whether good or bad) that they had to go “cold turkey” when it came to fan or even critical opinion, which lowered the “ambient stress level in our lives…by about 50 percent overnight.” Remember, Weiss and Benioff were aware of how many fans hated Season 8, so much so that they admitted to plans to hide from the angry GOT fanbase as the series finale aired. 

It makes complete sense that they would not believe that any Game of Thrones show with their names on it, even if they weren’t directly involved with said series, wouldn’t put more stink on their names if it progressed in a way that displeased fans. Good riddance to bad free money, I say.

It’s been 10 years since The Walt Disney Company gave George Lucas a few billion dollars and purchased his production company, along with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and everything that else that came with it. When Disney took over, it began almost immediately to put together massive plans for a brand-new trilogy of Star Wars films, as well as numerous other movies that were going to expand the galaxy far, far away. 

We did, in fact, get the new Star Wars trilogy we were promised, as well as a couple standalone movies on top of that, but following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the plans for Star Wars on the big screen started to go a little nuts. While production delays even hit the new trilogy, so they weren’t unexpected, delays in most cases turned into cancellations. While most of these movies were never even officially announced, there is evidence they were in development, until they were not. 

 A Boba Fett Movie 

In the beginning, in between the three movies comprising the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, we were supposed to get three films that were not directly tied into the Skywalker Saga, but worked to expand the Star Wars universe. Two of those movies actually happened. We got Rogue One and Solo following The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, respectively, but we were expecting a third film after the trilogy concluded, and that movie was supposed to be about Boba Fett.

Problems started early when the original director Josh Trank was reportedly dropped from the project. Perhaps if that hadn’t happened, the movie would have made it to screens, but it seems no future director could be found and this movie ended up languishing in development hell. Eventually, we got The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+, so in a way we did eventually get a Boba Fett story, but not in the way it was supposed to happen.

Solo Sequels

One of the reasons given for why we haven’t seen more Star Wars on the big screen is that one of the last movies that we did see, Solo: A Star Wars Story, struggled at the box office. To be fair, Solo struggled long before it arrived in theaters, but the movie certainly didn’t perform the way Lucasfilm was hoping, and the way we can tell that is that there were supposed to be sequels. 

When Alden Ehrenreich was cast to play Han Solo, he reportedly signed a deal for not one, but a trilogy of Star Wars movies. Needless to say we haven’t seen those projects, or even one that would allow Ehrenreich's Han Solo to even cameo. Under the circumstances, it’s not that surprising, but when you’re planning to make a couple more movies and then have to audible, you have to try and fill that with something else. 

A Mos Eisley Movie

We’ve seen a lot of the planet Tatooine in the various Star Wars series made for Disney+, but at one point, believe it or not, there was literally going to be a movie about the planet itself. More specifically, one about the “retched hive of scum and villainy” that was the Mos Eisley Cantina.  

This was yet another project that had been in development that was reportedly shelved by the poor performance of Solo. We were told that a lot of work had been done for a Star Wars spinoff movie on Tatooine before the project was quietly canceled. 

Benioff And Weiss' Star Wars Movies

While most of the Star Wars projects that we know about had at least basic ideas for plot and story, but didn’t necessarily have people actively producing them, one of the higher profile Star Wars movie ideas was the other way around. It was quite a big deal when the creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, signed on for at least one Star Wars film, if not several of them. It was even bigger deal when they left with those movies unmade.

We still don’t know what these movies would have been about, though Disney was confident enough at one point to officially announce this as the first post-Rise of Skywalker movie. We don’t even know if they knew what these movies were going to be about, though there were rumors of a Knights of the Old Republic connection. Reportedly the pair decided they didn’t want to deal with the potential problems of angry Star Wars fans, which makes sense since they learned what that was like following the final season of Game of Thrones. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi Movies 

One of the big questions even before the Sequel Trilogy was over was what Star Wars would do when we got there. One of the early rumors in that regard was that Lucasfilm was working on a new trilogy of films, which would be all about the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi in between the first two Star Wars trilogies. Ewan McGregor was asked about these rumors at every turn, but very little was ever confirmed.

In the end, we actually did get the Obi-Wan Kenobi story we were expecting, but we didn’t get it in the way we were expecting. While there absolutely were plans to make Obi-Wan movies, the project was eventually retooled into a Disney+ series. It was a generally well-regarded series, so it makes one wonder if it would have done well on the big screen.

Star Wars: Episode IX -  The Duel of the Fates 

The last one is a different sort of entry because, in the end, we did get Star Wars: Episode IX, but there’s no question now that the movie we got was very different from the movie originally planned. Colin Trevorrow was supposed to write and direct Episode IX, but his script was ultimately rejected by Lucasfilm, and Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams was brought in to direct an entirely new script. 

At least one version of Trevorrow’s script did eventually leak, allowing fans to learn how the end of the trilogy could have gone. It would have left the galaxy far, far, away in a very different place. We may have had an end to the Sequel Trilogy, but we didn’t get the one that was initially advertised. 

And these are just the movie that we know we’re never going to see. The fate of movie like Patty Jenkins Rogue Squadron, Rian Johnson’s trilogy, and a movie being produced by Marvel’s Kevin Feige are unknown. They have not been officially cancelled, and in the case of Rian Johnson, he has said his Star Wars movies are still very much alive. And other films are reportedly in active development, including one being helmed by Taika Waititi and another from Damon Lindelof that could be set post-Rise of Skywalker. 

We will undoubtedly see Star Wars on the big screen again, but what movie or movies we actually get, we may not know until opening night. For now, you can watch the Star Wars movies in order that have come out with your Disney+ subscription.

Truthfully, it’s hard to do right where series finales are concerned. After years of investment, fans want what they want when it comes to the beloved characters they watch. This has been true for a plethora of shows, from Lost to Gilmore Girls and everything in between. But it’s possible that no pop culture debate was ever quite as divisive as the Game of Thrones series finale. Of late, one of the show’s stars has explained why he thinks the creators just “couldn’t win” with die-hard viewers when it came to the ending.

When Game of Thrones finally concluded with the controversial eighth season in 2019, there was an uproar on all fronts. Audiences were dissatisfied with not only who (surprisingly) ended up on the Iron Throne but also with the final decisions made by the Dragon Queen herself, following her many years of being the lone source of goodness. John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarley on the show, came to the defense of the series finale. Using the royal “we,” Bradley said on the Just for Variety with Marc Malkin podcast:

It's technically been a few years, and most fans still haven’t gotten over the series finale. At the time of airing, the creators of the show, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, were largely anticipating the public ire that would soon be directed at them. So much so that they famously went into hiding ahead of the final episode. Yet fast forward there years and a pandemic later, and GoT’s John Bradley thinks we should cut the creators some slack now, saying:

The Game of Thrones alum’s defense of the series that brought him to prominence is completely understandable, for exactly that reason. John Bradley has since been able to parlay the persona he perfected on HBO into other major gigs, including roles in JLo’s recent romcom Marry Me and in the latest Roland Emmerich disaster film Moonfall. Likewise, the GoT creators have managed to find other projects – such as a new fantasy series slated for Netflix, with Hugh Jackman and Bradley himself at their sides – despite the infamous finale debacle and later controversies.

In 2019, CinemaBlend staff were resoundly divided about the ending that Game of Thrones received. As it happens, though, I’m in the midst of a major rewatch of the series and, let me just say, it’s still not entirely surprising that a show predicated on shock-and-awe, life-or-death decisions finished on an equally shocking note. If it helps any, apparently George R.R. Martin didn’t want a Stark on the Iron Throne, either.

Should you be interested in revisiting Game of Thrones yourself, you can do so with an HBO Max subscription.

It has been nearly two years since D.B Weiss (and David Benioff) became persona non grata in the eyes of millions of diehard Game of Thrones fans, but the Primetime Emmy Award-winning writer and television producer will soon enter a new area with a smaller, yet extremely vocal fandom. At some point in the near future we'll be able to see Weiss’ Netflix original film, titled Metal Lords, which follows a group of high school students with one love and one love only: heavy metal.

Not to be confused with Jonas Åkerlund’s 2019 thriller about the Norwegian black metal scene, Lords of Chaos, or the actual lord of metal, the late Christopher Lee, Metal Lords sounds like it will be a little less dark than most movies that focus on the metal subculture. But, with a group of producers that includes one of the most influential guitarists of the past 30 years and a young cast led by one of Hollywood’s brightest up-and-comers, Metal Lords could very well earn a spot on the list of best metal movies. Here’s what we know about it so far…

Metal Lords Is A Coming-Of-Age Story Centering On Two Kids Who Start A Heavy Metal Band

Metalheads are rarely, if ever, portrayed as the cool kids on campus, and that appears to be the case for the main characters in Metal Lords. The official logline of the upcoming Netflix coming-of-age story: "Two kids want to start a heavy metal band in a high school where exactly two kids care about heavy metal." An extended version of the synopsis, which was found in a 2020 casting call from Project Casting, includes a line about the two metalheads turning to a young cellist when their attempts at finding a bass player before their school’s battle of the bands don’t pan out.

Knives Out’s Jaeden Martell Leads The Young Metal Lords Cast

In February 2021, Netflix revealed that Knives Out, It, and Defending Jacob actor Jaeden Martell would take on one of the lead roles in Metal Lords but didn't disclose which character he will be playing. Martell will be joined Isis Hainsworth, who appeared in the 2020 period comedy Emma, and newcomer Adrian Greensmith, who will be taking on his first main acting role in the Netflix original. The supporting cast for Metal Lords has not yet been revealed.

The Metal Lords Script Was Penned By Game Of Thrones’ D.B. Weiss

D.B. Weiss traditionally pens his scripts with his longtime writing partner David Benioff, but the Game of Thrones creator wrote the Metal Lords screenplay on his own. Even though Benioff didn’t write the story or any of the dialogue, the man behind the 2002 Spike Lee joint 25th Hour and 2019’s Gemini Man will be serving as one of the film’s producers through the Netflix agreement he and Weiss signed back in 2019 (more on that here in a bit).

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist Helmer Peter Sollett Is Directing Metal Lords

Netflix has announced that leading the charge behind the camera on Metal Lords will be Peter Sollett, who is no stranger to filming music-centric movies. Sollett, who is also serving as the writer and director of the upcoming Minecraft movie, is perhaps best known for directing the 2008 romantic comedy Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, starring Michael Cera and Wandavision’s Kat Dennings. Sollett was also attached to direct Marvel’s Runaways more than a decade ago, but the project was put on hold until it was eventually resurrected as a television series, which ran for three seasons on Hulu before getting the axe in 2019.

Peter Sollett also has a fairly long history in television, as he has directed episodes of everything from Martin Scorsese’s HBO drama Vinyl to the Hulu cult series The Path, with multiple credits in addition to those.

Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello Is Serving As Executive Music Director

The list of producers and executive producers for Metal Lords announced by Netflix is a who’s who, with names like Oscar winner Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker), the duo of D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, and several others, but one of the most interesting names on the list is Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

Tom Morello, who has appeared in music documentaries like Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey (a must-watch), Iron Maiden: Flight 666, and Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes, as well as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Iron Man, will be serving as the music director. This should help quell any fears by metalheads that the movie is going to make a mockery of the culture.

Metal Lords Will Premiere On Netflix At Some Point In 2021

Netflix has yet to provide an official release date for Metal Lords, but the streaming giant has said the coming-of-age story will debut at some point in 2021. That status of the film’s current state of production also remains unclear, but cameras did reportedly start rolling back in November 2020, per Spin. Be on the lookout for more information on this in the coming months.

Metal Lords Is the First Film To Come From D.B. Weiss And David Benioff’s Netflix Deal

It has been nearly two years since D.B. Weiss and David Benioff decided to leave Game of Thrones (and the prospect of crafting Star Wars stories) behind and signed a landmark deal with Netflix. While a couple of television projects have been announced, Metal Lords will be the first movie to come as part of the agreement.

On the television side of things, the former Game of Thrones showrunners will soon be teaming up with Hugh Jackman for an adaptation of Richard Powers’ 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Overstory. Like the book on which it was based, the recently announced Netflix series will explore the temporal effects humans have on the environment. D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are also adapting The Three-Body Problem for the streamer, which has been marred by controversy.

Well, that catches us up with everything we know about Metal Lords and other things that will come from the partnership shared by Netflix and the team of D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. To see what else is coming to Netflix this year, check out CinemaBlend’s Movie and TV schedules for the streaming giant.

Two of the biggest minds behind HBO’s breakthrough television series Game of Thrones have recently announced their latest Netflix series. Since signing a deal with the streaming service back in 2019, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have announced multiple upcoming projects. The latest development will pair the duo with Logan actor Hugh Jackman for a wild new series based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel, The Overstory.

Hugh Jackman is attached to executive produce alongside the Game of Thrones show-runners. The upcoming adaptation is based on The Overstory, which explores the temporal effects humans have on the environment and the lives of those who interact with nature. Originally published in 2018, the novel went on to win the Pulitzer Prize.

The adaptation, which was first reported on by Variety, is the latest in a number of planned projects that the pair have been working on with Netflix. Earlier this year Sandra Oh was revealed as the star and executive producer of their first TV show with Netflix, The Chair. Benioff and Weiss’s first project since the controversial ending of Game of Thrones will be a lighter one. The Chair follows Sandra Oh’s character as the chair of the english department at a major American University.

Benioff and Weiss were supposed to helm a Star Wars trilogy for Disney, but moved on from the projects after the backlash from their involvement in the final seasons of Game of Thrones. Since then they signed a massive, multi-million dollar, deal with streaming giant Netflix.

Netflix has been shelling out cash over the past couple of years in a move that will beef up its original content library. Now that studios have gotten in on the streaming market, there is increased competition to bring viewers the best offerings from the comfort of their own home.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has devastated the entertainment industry, is also fueling the fire for more at home original content. Warner Bros. recently released their bombshell decision to simultaneously premier its entire 2021 movie slate on HBOMax in addition to theaters. Last year Disney employed a strategy of its own with a same day streaming release of Mulan for Disney + subscribers.

While Netflix has consistently stuck with its current model, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some deviation in the future. After all, they have successfully penetrated the Awards circuit in an extremely short period of time and they will continue to go head to head with Disney +, HBOMax and more.

But honestly, who knows at this point? Between the ongoing pandemic and the rapidly changing business model of streaming services anything is possible. One thing is certain though, Benioff and Weiss have their work cut out for them if they are trying to recreate the magic of Game of Thrones. Only time will tell if the pair can lead another breakout show into the forefront of American culture, but they’ve done it once before. I just hope they leave the coffee cups at home this time.

Pedro Pascal burst onto Game of Thrones like a bolt of lightning back in Season 4, and his role is impossible to forget. Pascal took on the part of Oberyn Martell to fan-favored acclaim during his brief, albeit memorable, run. Like many before and after him, Oberyn’s time on Game of Thrones came to a deadly end, but why does the show’s co-creator feel that killing off Pascal’s character “worked out?"

Well, you have to consider the context. That's part of what Game of Thrones co-showrunner David Benioff had to say about killing off Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn. On that note, it didn't turn out any better for the character's kids either, as Game of Thrones progressed. Pascal expressed his feelings regarding that development. Asked if there was a moment that he second-guessed killing off the fan-favorite, Benioff told Variety:

Of course, it's worth mentioning that Pedro Pascal has gone on to do plenty of other major projects since Game of Thrones. Not only has he starred in Netflix’s crime drama, but he's currently the star of a pretty big Disney+ series known as The Mandalorian, wherein he plays the title role opposite pop culture sensation Baby Yoda (aka The Child). It goes without saying that Pascal has seized all of the momentum from his fan-favorite role on GoT.

Pedro Pascal’s life on Game of Thrones was one fuel to the fire, while his character’s death was another one. The horrific moment arrived when the “Red Viper” went up against The Mountain, and it proved to be one of Game of Thrones’ most notorious death scenes. It began when Oberyn agreed to represent Tyrion in a trial by combat in an effort to avenge his sister and her children.

The Mountain murdered all of them. The trial by combat got off to a great start, with Oberyn seeming ready to defeat The Mountain, and that was when things went haywire. In the end, The Mountain came out on top, smashing his fingers into Oberyn’s eye sockets before crushing his head. It was grizzly and made multiple deposits into the brain banks of those watching.

The good news is that Oberyn managed to (sort of) take The Mountain with him thanks to his poisoned spear tip. For Pedro Pascal, there was much better news. The actor has found himself on a successful career path that seems to grow by the year. While Pascal is now heavily into the world of Star Wars, he has not lost sight of the comparisons between that world and Game of Thrones’ dramatic universe.

All's well that ended well, as Oberyn’s short-term storyline concluded with the same ending he experienced in the books. You can check out Pedro Pascal’s fan-favorite run as Oberyn Martell by streaming the fourth season of Game of Thrones on HBO Max. As you wait for the next chapter to get turned in the franchise thanks to House of the Dragon, check out this fall’s premieres.

Despite the widespread criticism that was heaped atop Game of Thrones' eighth and final season on HBO, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are obviously still a hot commodity in Hollywood for adapting the fantasy epic that became one of the most popular shows on TV during its run. Thus, it was a natural move for them to jump to an exclusive deal with Netflix, but their first announced project – an adaptation of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem series – has already faced some backlash from Republican senators, and one in particular has more recently slammed the streaming giant's defensive statement on the matter.

The main problem that the aforementioned senators have raised complaints over is author Liu Cixin's publicly stated viewpoints about China's treatment of its Uyghur population, which is mostly made up of those in the Muslim faith. It's estimated that around one million Uyghurs have been gathered and confined in internment camps in Xinjiang, which has been seen as a highly controversial method of forced assimilation. Back in 2019, Liu defended the Chinese government in an interview by saying it was 'helping their economy and trying to lift them out of power,' which are commonly cited opinions that aren't necessarily backed up by facts.

The five senators – including Marsha Blackburn, Martha McSally, Rick Scott, Kevin Cramer, and Thom Tillis – complained about the Three-Body Problem adaptation through a letter to Netflix that called execs out for working with Liu Cixin and for seeming to turn a blind eye to what they deep to be human rights abuses. Netflix's response to that letter made clear that the company did not agree with those comments, and that Liu is merely the novels' author and not the creator of the TV adaptation. And here's how Blackburn responded to Netflix's defense, according to Variety:

For comparison, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss definitely worked with George R.R. Martin throughout putting Game of Thrones together as a TV show. Not just in the earliest stages, but right up through the final season. Granted, part of that communication was due to Martin's novel series not being finished yet, but even if it had been, the showrunners would have still likely leaned on the author for insights and secrets. One could easily assume that Benioff and Weiss were also planning on talking to Liu about the streaming adaptation of The Three-Body Prolem, but it'll be hard to make that happen now without kicking up some dirt.

Marsha Blackburn also added the below:

While there are no doubt many that would agree with Marsha Blackburn's statements there, the senator has also attracted her own fair share of blowback over the years for her own controversial political views. Blackburn previously agreed with President Donald Trump's ideas to put a ban on Muslim immigration. As well, she spoke out in opposition to school classes in Tennessee providing lessons on the history of Islam. (To say nothing of anti-LGBTQ votes and others.)

This isn't the first post-Game of Thrones project that has attracted shocked reactions for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The duo were previously crafting an alternate history drama titled Confederate, which would have taken place in a world where the U.S. Civil War did not have any clear victors. For better or worse, that project was went kaput in 2019 and was officially cancelled. But will the same thing happen with The Three-Body Problem?

For now, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on this issue and more, and head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way soon.

Netflix has a number of various projects in the pipeline over the next several years, but one has led to some backlash from politicians. Earlier this month, the streamer announced that it had tapped Game of Thrones creators David Benioff & D.B. Weiss to adapt Liu Cixin's Three-Body Problem trilogy. The announcement eventually received opposition from five senators who wrote a letter asking the streamer to reconsider the decision. Now, Netflix has provided a response.

The five Republican senators argued that by adapting Three-Body Problem, Netflix would be “normalizing” the Chinese government’s incarceration of over 1 million Uyghur Muslims. The senators also pointed to a previous interview from Liu Cixin, during which he spoke about internment camps in the Xinjiang province of northern China. With this, the political officials asked that Netflix “seriously reconsider the implications of providing a platform to Mr. Liu in producing this project.”

In a Q&A-style letter (via Deadline), Dean Garfield, Netflix’s Vice President of Public Policy, stated that the company judges projects “on their merits” and that the company does not agree with Liu Cixin’s statements:

In the letter, Garfield went on to stress that while Liu is the author of the book series, he is not the creator of the show:

While Liu does not seem to be involved in the day-to-day development of the project, Netflix’s initial announcement does list him as a consulting producer. In a statement in that release, the author expressed his excitement for the project and expressed faith in the creative team’s attempt to adapt his work.

The Three-Body Problem was originally published in China back in 2008 before getting an English publication in 2014. Set in the future, the sci-fi novel establishes a universe in which the star system includes a three-body problem that’s made up of three solar-type stars that orbit each other. In the first book, the Earth is soon to be invaded by the closest one. The book received critical acclaim and would become the first Asian novel to earn the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Two sequels, The Dark Forest and Death’s End, followed in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and all three make up the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more news from the world of TV and film.

In early September, Netflix announced that Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would be adapting The Three-Body Problem into a streaming series. The project is based on the popular sci-fi trilogy by Liu Cixin, and is set to be executive produced by Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out director Rian Johnson. However, it seems that Weiss and Benioff’s big Game of Thrones follow-up has hit a major snag, and it’s big enough to involve U.S. senators.

To take a small step back, Disney recently came under fire by U.S. politicians after it was revealed that the live-action Mulan was filmed in the Xinjiang region of China, where over one million Uyghur Muslims are reportedly being imprisoned. Now, Netflix is facing a similar dilemma and has itself come under fire for adapting The Three-Body Problem in partnership with Liu Cixin, whose previous comments have backed the purported detainment of Uyghur Muslims in China. Thus, U.S. senators are reportedly displeased that Netflix execs, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are working with Cixin,

Five senators — Martha McSally (R., Ariz.), Marsha Blackburn (R. Tenn.), Rick Scott (R. Fla.), Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), and Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) — believe that entering into a contract with Liu Cixin allows the “normalization of, or apologism for” various human rights abuses made against the Uyghur Muslims, which reportedly include forced sterilization. In a letter penned to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, the senators quoted Cixin’s interview regarding his views on the situation. Here’s what they wrote:

The senators go on to ask Ted Sarandos and Netflix to “seriously reconsider the implications of providing a platform to Mr. Liu.” The letter adds that the author’s comments are concerning because they glorify the CCP’s actions, which are described as a “distinction of genocide.” The senators then posed four questions to Sarandos and his team to answer in light of the collaboration and suggest that those involved with the projects may be considered complicit in “such atrocities.”

It’s unclear how Ted Sarandos, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss will proceed. However, should they decide to drop The Three-Body Problem adaptation, it certainly wouldn’t be the first project to notably fall through for Benioff and Weiss. The duo were famously tapped to make a Star Wars trilogy before they parted ways with Lucasfilm last year. Prior to that, Benioff and Weiss were developing a controversial alt-history series called Confederate for HBO, but those plans also fell through once the duo signed their deal with Netflix.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on this story and others. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide for more on what to watch, as well as our 2020 Netflix lineup.

After completing their run on the HBO mega-hit series Game of Thrones, the next move for showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss has been one that their biggest fans have been keeping tabs on for some time. Now, we finally have news of the latest project to cross the desk of this duo of TV titans, which is a part of the big Netflix deal the two had snagged in the recent past. Get ready, as Benioff and Weiss are about to tackle a series adaptation of author Liu Cixin's novel, The Three-Body Problem.

The Three-Body Problem is only the start of a trilogy that spans a wide range of human history, starting in an alternate 1960s and eventually reaching the end of time. Game of Thrones fans should feel right at home with this new Netflix series, as according to USA Today, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be working with two concepts that they used to great effect in their eight-season juggernaut: life outside of the realm of humanity, and a non-linear time jumping narrative.

More specifically, The Three-Body Problem will see humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization, and all of the exciting problems that particular sort of story brings along for the ride. Involving messages between humanity and a race of aliens known as Trisolarans, a long-term narrative starts to play out that sees various factions rising, as some want to help these aliens solve the titular scientific dilemma that afflicts their world, and others want them to destroy humanity for its own good.

This move is all the more interesting, considering the fact that the last big project that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss seemed to be in line to tackle was a trilogy of Star Wars movies. Of course, that prospect ended with the two parting ways with that project, as their alleged concerns over “toxic fandom” came at a pretty heated juncture in the franchise’s history. But now, it looks like their sci-fi muscles will be put to the test after all, as this trilogy of well-beloved books will serve as Benioff and Weiss’ big Netflix debut.

The Three-Body Problem’s birth comes at an interesting time for Netflix also, as the studio’s top brass recently made the decision to cancel the series adaptation of sci-fi property Altered Carbon two seasons into its run. Undoubtedly, those in charge are probably high on the fact that the former showrunners of Game of Thrones are ready to tackle what could be another high-concept genre project. Especially when, if the loyal fanbase of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy latch onto The Three-Body Problem series as they are expected to, we could see a nice long running series adapt all three books.

Possibly the best part is that everything’s already written with the book adaptation, which means David Benioff and D.B Weiss won’t be pressured to come up with their own ending this time. Though we probably won’t have to worry about that for a while, as The Three-Body Problem currently doesn’t have a production start date or a premiere date set on its calendar. So stay tuned to CinemaBlend for further updates as they break.

SPOILER WARNING for anyone who hasn't yet watched Westworld's latest Season 3 episode.

Just two episodes into Westworld's third season, the showrunners have already blown fans' minds with the most awesomely blatant easter egg references to HBO's hallmark series Game of Thrones. The icing on the cake, however, was a possible nod to another super-popular sci-fi story created by Westworld visionary Michael Crichton: Jurassic Park. We assume we're not going to see any dinosaurs in the near future, but it seems like nothing is off the table in this universe.

Game Of Thrones Cameos

It feels like eons ago when news dropped that Game of Thrones' TV creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were going to make appearances in Westworld Season 3. Obviously nobody knew how those cameos would happen at the time, but Sunday's episode revealed all, and it turns out the invite wasn't just limited to humans.

In the episode, Bernard and Stubbs were walking the hallways of Delos' many behind-the-scenes labs on a floor where elements from the presumed Medievalworld were being worked on. (More on that below.) At one point, they passed a room that contained not just David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' techs (brilliantly named Dave and Dan), but also a very familiar-looking dragon. That's right, Game of Thrones' big bosses actually got Daenerys' main dragon Drogon into Westworld, even if they never referred to it by that name.

Here's how Westworld's co-showrunner Lisa Joy explained it in a video HBO released after the episode aired.

The Medievalworld sequence also featured an oddball moment with a musician Host directly playing Westworld's theme song, making me think that HBO now stands for Home Box Ouroboros.

Jurassic Park Connections

While the Game of Thrones references were wonderfully cheeky to watch, that scene's dialogue almost definitely featured a direct nod to Jurassic Park. In fact, the entire concept of Medievalworld speaks to the larger metatextual web that Westworld's showrunners wove with Michael Crichton references.

To lay it out there, here's what D.B. Weiss' character said in the scene about the dragon Host (before implying that he was about to cut the beast up into shipment-sized parts).

Even if he'd just mentioned "some Central American island" without namechecking Costa Rica, it still would have been an obvious reference to the company at the heart of Jurassic Park: International Genetic Technologies, Inc. Or, more simply, InGen. Sure, the company was founded in the 1980s in the novel, but Westworld's futuristic setting and technology make the idea of a Jurassic Park attraction all the more realistic. Hell, Delos could probably sublet an island somewhere for InGen to use and redub as Isla Nubar.

Making the Jurassic Park inclusion feel all the more realistic is the fact that Medievalworld itself is a reference to the film Futureworld, the cinematic sequel to Michael Crichton's original Westworld film. Granted, Crichton didn't have anything to do with the creation of Futureworld, but it's still a homage to the overarching universe the author created. (And done in a way that obviously allowed them to easily work Game of Thrones into the mix.)

While I don't have any concrete faith that Westworld will ever seriously adapt elements of Jurassic Park in future episodes, I would enjoy the shit out of it, especially if Drogon was there to make sure the dinosaurs stayed in their lane. It might also inspire fans to hit up HBO to turn Jurassic Park into a high-quality TV series on par with Westworld and Game of Thrones, obviously with Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern returning. Or if nothing else, maybe a reference to Westworld in the upcoming dragon-friendly Game of Thrones prequel series.

What did everybody think of Westworld's universe-connecting easter eggs in Episode 2? Let us know in the comments, and keep watching Westworld every Sunday night on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET. And don't forget to check out our weekly questions feature for Episode 2, as well as for Episode 1.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s cast chemistry drives the series. Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito, and Charlie Day’s alluring dynamic has helped It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia remain on the air and leave a legacy that continues to grow. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia's supporting cast of recurring characters and actors are equally ridiculous and exciting to watch. The McPoyles, Cricket (David Hornsby), The Lawyer (Brian Unger), Artemis (Artemis Pebdani) and many more have become part of the show’s DNA and its winning formula.

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast and crew have had a wide range of guest stars over the years . The series has featured comedians, actors, directors, show runners, and musicians. These guest stars have seamlessly inserted themselves into the crazy shenanigans of the gang, as either themselves or some character that makes sense for their real life persona. With so many guest stars, there may have been a few that you’ve forgotten. Here’s a bit of a reminder.

Josh Groban (Season 9, Episode 6)

Josh Groban made his claim to fame with his huge vocal presence, singing classic music, along with adult contemporary, jazz, and soft rock. He has multi-platinum albums, Grammy nominations, and Billboard Music Awards. Josh Groban is also no stranger to acting. He made guest appearances on various different comedy series, like The Crazy Ones and The Office, and he was co-lead on Netflix’s short lived The Good Cop.

Prior to his It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia guest appearance episode, Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Artemis mentioned that they are huge Josh Groban fans, Grobanites one might say. In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 9, Episode 6, “The Gang Saves the Day,” the gang hides out during a convenience store robbery. They each begin to imagine what would happen if they actually tried to stop the robbery. In Dee’s vision, she kills everyone, but goes into the witness protection program where she gets a starring role on a TV show as a male British butler. Her new fame brings Josh Groban and her together. They marry, but unfortunately, she divorces Josh Groban to marry Brad Pitt. In his brief cameo, Josh Groban sings a song that references the many insults that Dee hears frequently from the gang.

Sean “P-Diddy” Combs (Season 8, Episode 6)

Sean “P-Diddy” Combs raps, sings, and produces. He’s worked with big names like Usher, Faith Evans, Biggie Smalls, and Mary J. Blige. His most famous hit singles include “I’ll Be Missing You” and “It’s All About the Benjamins.” P-Diddy also appeared on the screen in movies such as Monster’s Ball, Get Him to the Greek, and Muppets Most Wanted.

In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 8, Episode 6 “Charlie’s Mom Has Cancer,” Diddy plays a shady man claiming to be a doctor. He goes by the name Dr. Jinx. He claims that he can use natural remedies to cure Charlie’s mom's cancer. The episode features a very funny stare-off scene between Dr. Jinx and Dennis (Glenn Howerton). He tries to cure Dennis’ inability to feel emotions by playing him a soulful guitar version of New Kids On the Block’s “You Got It (The Right Stuff).”

Paul Walter Hauser (Season 6, Episode 9)

Last year, Paul Walter Hauser had his breakout role as Richard Jewell in Richard Jewell. He’s also appeared in Cobra Kai, Late Night, Kingdom, and I, Tonya.

Paul Walter Hauser appeared in one of the best episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 6. In Episode 9, “Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth,” Dee and Charlie (Charlie Day) get jobs working for a high school, Dee as a substitute teacher and Charlie as a janitor. This episode features the gang’s version of Lethal Weapon 5. Charlie bonds with Richie (Paul Walter Hauser), a kid who dresses as a Juggalo, the name for fans of the Insane Clown Posse. After seeing the gang’s Lethal Weapon 5, Richie drops the Juggalo makeup and starts wearing blackface, which of course ends in Dee and Charlie being fired.

Guillermo del Toro (Season 8, Episode 3)

Guillermo del Toro is a filmmaker, best known for Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, and the Academy Award winning Best Picture The Shape of Water. Guillermo del Toro worked with Charlie Day on Pacific Rim, which likely led to this inspired It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cameo.

Guillermo del Toro appeared in two episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The first in Season 8, Episode 3, “The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre,” and the second in Season 11, Episode 7, “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century.” In both episodes, he plays Pappy McPoyle, a member of the infamous McPoyle incest loving clan. In “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century,” he plays the key witness that allows Charlie to use bird law and win his case.

Oscar Nunez (Season 9, Episode 3)

The Office fans best recognize Oscar Nunez for his role as Oscar Martinez on the hit NBC series. He’s also made appearances on Mr. Iglesias, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, and People of Earth. Oscar Nunez movie appearances include Baywatch, The Proposal, and The Italian Job.

Oscar Nunez appeared in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 9, Episode 3, “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award.” The entire episode is commentary on how It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gets ignored by major award shows, like the Emmys. In it, Nunez plays the manager of a bar name Sudz, a bar that receives many awards. Oscar Nunez’ appearance is a nod to shows, like The Office, that fit more into the award show standards. It’s a very layered, hilarious, and top-notch episode, which proves why it’s ridiculous that the Emmys ignore the series every year.

Retta (Season 4, Episode 12)

Retta played Donna Meagle on Parks and Recreation for the series’ seven seasons. She also appeared on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce for several seasons, and now plays Ruby Hill on Good Girls. She also had a role in the comedy Good Boys.

Retta had a very small role on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 4, Episode 12, “The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition.” The gang kidnaps the Juarez family, and then forces them to participate in an extreme makeover of their lives and home. Retta plays the hardware store clerk that hears Charlie and Dennis discussing their questionable plans for their renovations. She doesn’t say much, but her facial reactions say it all.

David Benioff And D.B. Weiss (Season 12, Episode 2)

David Benioff and D.B Weiss are the showrunners of Game of Thrones. The men are huge fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and the It's Always Sunny cast are huge fans of Game of Thrones, which has resulted in the series’ stars doing crossover work. Rob McElhenney appeared on a Game of Thrones episode as an extra, and David Benioff and D.B Weiss wrote It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 9, Episode 8, “Flowers for Charlie.”

D.B Weiss and David Benioff returned to the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia world in Season 12, Episode 2, “The Gang Goes to a Water Park.” The gang engages in separate disasters: Dennis training a little girl to be a good con artist, Dee and Mac trapped in a water slide, and Charlie and Frank (Danny DeVito) pretend Frank has AIDS to allow them to skip lines. D.B Weiss and David Benioff play two lifeguards who have no interest in actually trying to save lives and stop the gang’s madness. It leads to chaos and death, something we’re sure Benioff and Weiss have become familiar with from Game of Thrones.

Chad L. Coleman (Season 6, Episode 10)

Chad L. Coleman has appeared in the series All American, Interrogation, The Expanse, The Orville, and Arrow. Many know him best for his role on The Walking Dead, where he played Tyreese for a few seasons, and The Wire, where he played Dennis “Cutty” Wise.

Chad L. Coleman plays the recurring character Z on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. His first appearance was in Season 6, Episode 10, “Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats,” and his most recent was in Season 14, Episode 9, “A Woman’s Right to Chop.” Z has appeared in five episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia so far. He's one of Charlie and Frank’s bridge people friends. His funniest moments are when he’s just reacting to the ridiculousness of the gang. He usually responds to their extreme behavior with understanding and amusement.

Sinbad And Rob Thomas (Season 4, Episode 9)

Sinbad is a comedian and actor. His film gigs include Jingle All the Way, Necessary Roughness, First Kid, but not Shazaam. Sinbad has also had television roles in Rel, A Different World, and Steven Universe. Rob Thomas is the front man for Matchbox Twenty. A few of the band’s hits include “3AM,” “Unwell,” “If You’re Gone,” and “Lonely No More.”

Sinbad and Rob Thomas appeared together in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 4, Episode 9, “Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life.” Dennis’ quest to publish an erotic memoir leads to him in a rehab. Rob Thomas and Sinbad, playing themselves, just happen to also be in this rehab and they’re borderline deranged bullies. Rob Thomas and Sinbad are hilarious in this random cameo combination.

Pablo Schreiber (Season 6, Episode 13)

You may know Pablo Schreiber for his roles in The Wire, Law and Order: SVU, Weeds, and Orange is the New Black. He played Pornstache on Orange is the New Black, and serial rapist and killer William Lewis in Law and Order: SVU. Pablo Schreiber also played Mad Sweeney on American Gods. He was recently cast as Master Chief John-117 in the Halo series adaptation. His movie roles include Den of Thieves, First Man, and Skyscraper.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 6, Episode 13, “A Very Sunny Christmas,” the gang recounts their Christmases. While telling Charlie about his Christmases of the past, Mac realizes that he and his family used to rob other people’s homes on Christmas. Charlie and he try to make it up to Pablo Schreiber’s character Ricky by trying to buy his children the hottest toy of that year. Things go very far off course, leading to an assault on a mall Santa.

The first thirteen seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are available to stream on Hulu. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 14 should be available on Hulu in March. Stream it HERE.

Game of Thrones Season 8 had its fair share of troubles throughout its run, though few things were as talked about as much as the Starbucks coffee cup. The error has been meme'd and criticized for months, and Starbucks has had lots of free publicity for the blooper this entire time. Now, come to find out, the cup wasn't from the well-known coffee company after all!

The coffee cup did not belong to Starbucks, but instead a Belfast-owned company named Established Coffee. The information comes from the Season 8 commentary track (via Comicbook.com) in which showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff talked about the incident. The two also managed to point a finger at Emilia Clarke for the controversy, who said the bus they had thrown her under was quite heavy.

Established Coffee is much smaller than Starbucks by a long shot, so it's understandable why people would mistake it for the brand with wider recognition. While Established Coffee may have missed out on the initial wave of publicity, hopefully the shop can capitalize now that the record has been set straight and we know that it is the official coffee chain of Westeros.

A title like that may not mean much in the fictional world of Game of Thrones, but it may mean something to fans. Those who sign up for the Game of Thrones vacation experience now may feel obligated to drink coffee at the same place that was featured in the HBO show. After all, people love to hang out on Friends' Central Perk set and pop-up shops that replicate the experience, why would this be any different?

Meanwhile, the debate rages on in regards to which Game of Thrones cast member left their coffee cup on the table during the now-infamous scene. While there are still a fair number of fans and cast who seem to think it was Emilia Clarke who left her drink out before the cameras started rolling, Clarke recently said that actor Conelith Hill revealed that it had been his all along. Is Clarke telling the truth, or has the "mad queen" spun a tale to keep fans and friends from giving her more guff?

The short answer is, it doesn't really matter. Season 8 of Game of Thrones had far more glaring issues that over-shadowed this one, easily edited-out, mistake, which may be why the coffee cup continues to have relevance long after the show's end. Why get into a big argument about lighting issues and plot lines when one can simply mention the lack of attention shown in order to get a modern coffee cup out of a pivotal scene?

Hey, HBO, Take As Long As You Need To Make Game Of Thrones' House Of The Dragon Prequel Rule

Game of Thrones is over, but a prequel series is currently in development. Stick with CinemaBlend for more on its progress, and to stay up to date on all things happening in the world of television and movies.

It's been an interesting week for Star Wars fans. While ever day brings us closer to the highly anticipated release of The Rise of Skywalker, there was a major shakeup regarding the future of the franchise. Namely, that Game of Thrones creators D.B Weiss and David Benioff have parted ways with Lucasfilm, and will no longer be developing a series of films. This was a serious shock to the fandom, and now we might have a better idea about why the filmmakers separated from studio. And it might have to do with the Star Wars fandom, especially following their recent experience with Game of Thrones' final season.

HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones was a pop culture phenomenon during its long run, but its eighth and final season was the subject of some backlash. Fans were unhappy with the show's pacing and plot twists, especially when it came to Dany. Meanwhile the Star Wars franchise saw a similar pushback after the release of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. This pressure was reportedly a big reason why Weiss and Benioff parted ways with Lucasfilm, especially after recently feeling the heat from GOT watchers.

This report comes to us from THR, which quotes an unnamed source allegedly close to production. The source indicates that D.B. Weiss and David Benioff didn't want to deal with more backlash from potentially toxic fans, with that individual saying: "Who wants to go through that again? Not them." While this is technically unconfirmed, it would make sense. After all, Weiss and Benioff cancelled their appearance at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, seemingly to avoid the angry fans in attendance.

Additionally, Weiss and Benioff recently took a new deal to produce content at Netflix, which would have gotten in the way of their possible Star Wars trilogy. Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy referenced this scheduling issue in her official statement about the departure, which quickly went viral on social media. There's no way the filmmakers could do both gigs at the same time, so they left the galaxy far, far away before making their official entrance.

Related: All The Times Star Wars Gave A Creative Partner The Boot

This latest development makes the future of the Star Wars franchise all the more unclear. J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker will wrap up the nine-film Skywalker Saga that began with A New Hope. As for the space opera's future in theaters, the plans are a mystery to the public. Rian Johnson is set to develop his own possible trilogy of movies, but he hasn't moved forward with that process since the announcement was made. After all, he's been too busy shooting and promoting Knives Out. Marvel's Kevin Feige will also be working on something set in the galaxy far, far away. But there's been non timeline provided.

Luckily, there will be some new content coming on the small screen. Disney+ will be releasing The Mandalorianwhen it launches, breaking history as the franchise's first live-action series. Additionally, Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in an untitled series on the application.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Late Monday night, news came in that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who were hired to write and produce their own Star Wars trilogy back in February 2018, would no longer be working in the franchise set in a galaxy far, far away. While there’s still no official word about what kind of stories the duo planned to deliver to the masses, new information come in claiming that these Star Wars movies would have explored the origins of the Jedi.

We’ve known for a while that like what Rian Johnson has planned for his Star Wars trilogy, the movies that David Benioff and D.B Weiss would have worked on would be separate from the Skywalker Saga, which is ending with The Rise of Skywalker this December. And while it’s been reported that at least one Knights of the Old Republic movie is in the works, if not more, according to Variety, Benioff and Weiss were interested in winding the clock back further to shine light on how these lightsaber-wielding warriors came to be.

Although the history of the Jedi has been touched upon in various Star Wars projects, like how Luke was living on the site of the first Jedi Temple during The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, we still have yet to see in the official canon how the Jedi first formed and dedicated their lives to protecting the galaxy. Whether or not you agree that this is a subject that requires delving into, it certainly would have allowed David Benioff and D.B. Weiss plenty of creative freedom, as these Star Wars movies would have been set thousands of years ago, if not longer.

Alas, things just didn’t work out for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss on the Star Wars front, with the official reason for this being that they're too busy with their work over at Netflix. However, the report also mentioned that the duo and Lucasfilm started to “see their visions for the films diverge during meetings last summer,” and it got to the point where the studio started hearing Star Wars pitches from other writers.

In addition to reaffirming much of what Variety laid out, The Hollywood Reporter noted in its own write-up that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ exit had been “brewing” since August, and that the men were having doubts about jumping into the Star Wars franchise due to “toxic fandom,” having already experienced some of that on Game of Thrones. This certainly isn’t the first instance of high-profile creator exit to have happened during the Disney era of Star Wars.

Regardless, where do we stand now with this franchise on the cinematic front? Well, the next Star Wars movies are set for 2022, 2024 and 2026, but it was the Benioff/Weiss trilogy that was supposed to fill those dates. Lucasfilm could possibly put Rian Johnson movies in there instead, or perhaps fully commit to those Knights of the Old Republic movies. Let’s also not forget that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is producing his own Star Wars movie, which could serve as the first chapter of a longer story.

Whatever the future holds, even if the origins of the Jedi are never brought to the big screen, that doesn’t mean we won’t ever see such a story unfold. Between TV shows, video games, novels and comic books, there are plenty of avenues that would allow another creator could delve into this material, though their take would likely be quite different than what the Game of Thrones showrunners had in mind.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates concerning the entire Star Wars franchise. The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20.

As soon as Disney bought Lucasfilm, a new trilogy was announced and it was made clear that new Star Wars movies weren't going to be going away even after that was done. The franchise was here to stay. However, the attempts to bring Star Wars back haven't come without a series of growing pains.

We're on the verge of the end of the promised trilogy, but even that didn't arrive quite as advertised, and it seems that every time a Star Wars movie is rumored or announced, it runs into problems. Yesterday Star Wars hit yet another hurdle with the former Game of Thrones creative team working on the next film taking their ball and going home, but they're not the first, not by a long shot.

Josh Trank - Boba Fett

It wasn't long after the new trilogy was announced that another set of three films were also put into production by Lucasfilm. These "anthology" movies would tell new stories in the galaxy far, far away, not directly related to the characters that made up the core of the Skywalker Saga. One was set to be a movie about the team that stole the original Death Star plans, one became an origin story of fan favorite Han Solo, and the third was reported to be a movie about bounty hunter Boba Fett.

However, that movie never came to be. Josh Trank, the director of Chronicle, was set to helm the project. There have been conflicting reports about what exactly happened, but one of the reports indicated that the clusterfuck that was the Fantastic Four reboot led to Lucasfilm's decision to cut ties with Trank. Officially, the decision to part ways was chalked up to "creative differences" (get ready to hear that phrase a lot in this piece) though Trank has also said he made the decision to walk away.

Phil Lord And Christopher Miller - Solo: A Star Wars Story

The most high-profile departure for a Star Wars movie came in the case of the second of the anthology films that were planned. In this case, Lucasfilm took the unorthodox approach of parting ways with a director, or in this case, directors, while filming on the Han Solo-led movie was still going on. It's not unusual for a director to leave a project before shooting starts, or even after it's done, but in the middle of filming is almost unheard of.

This means that the "creative differences" between Lucasfilm and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller must have been extensive. The stories that came out of the production were that the directors weren't relying much on the script, causing a rift with longtime Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, and that the pair were shooting a significant number of takes of most shots, causing production to take much longer than planned, though Miller has denied some of that. Ron Howard was brought in to finish the film.

Colin Trevorrow - Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

While most of the difficulties that Star Wars had in finding directors had been limited to the spinoff films, the core trilogy hasn't been entirely safe either. While J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson both wrote and directed movies with zero drama (at least none that made it public), the same was not the case with Star Wars Episode IX. Back in the fall of 2017, in the run up to The Last Jedi, it was announced that Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow would not be helming the final episode of the trilogy as originally planned. Once again, creative differences were faulted for the change.

There were a couple of different reports supposedly revealing why Lucasfilm decided to make this change. In one, Colin Trevorrow was somebody who was difficult to work with, and the studio simply decided it didn't want to deal with that. In another, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy was unimpressed with Trevorrow's script for the movie. Whatever the reason, Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, somebody who already made one movie with no issues, was brought back to finish the trilogy he started.

David Benioff And D.B. Weiss - Untitled Star Wars Trilogy

And that brings us to the newest members of the 'I almost directed a Star Wars movie" club. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are, no matter what you thought of the last season of Game of Thrones, two in-demand talents. They're in such high demand that not only did they come on board to make Lucasfilm's first post-trilogy Star Wars movie, they also signed a massive development deal with Netflix. The latter, in this case, appears to have been the problem.

It seems that with everything that was associated with David Benioff and Dan Weiss' Netflix deal, the pair simply did not have the time to work on Star Wars. In this case, it's being presented that the duo made the decision to walk away from Star Wars because they did not have the time for it. Although, there are those who are reading into Kathleen Kennedy's statement on the departure, which may indicate that Lucasfilm was even less excited to have the two hang around after the Netflix deal.

One thing seems clear, making Star Wars movies is not easy. The franchise seems to have had more problems than many other blockbuster franchises when it comes to finding the right talent for the job. A single issue like the most recent Game of Thrones showrunner news might be expected, but seeing this happening over and over again makes me wonder exactly what and where the difficulty is.

Who knows what any of this means for the future of Star Wars? Rian Johnson is allegedly working on a new trilogy and he's already shown an ability to work with Lucasfilm, so I would not expect any major problems there. Of course, Johnson hasn't committed to directing all of the movies he's writing, so more directors might be needed.

On the plus side, this potentially opens the door to new batch of writers and directors who might be very willing to work on Star Wars related projects. There are multiple generations who have grown up with the franchise, who might want to make their mark on the galaxy, far, far away. It will be interesting to see who steps up and whether they can hold onto the gig.

While the future of the Star Wars franchise on the big screen is mostly unclear beyond the release of the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, we have at the very least known about three distinct developments: the trilogy being planned by Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson; the feature being developed by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige; and the trilogy being made by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Well, now that list has been whittled down to two, as Benioff and Weiss have apparently backed out of their Star Wars deal.

This news comes to us from Deadline, which says that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are no longer planning to tell big screen stories set long ago in a galaxy far, far away because of the recent blockbuster development deal that they made with Netflix. What makes this significant is that the Star Wars trilogy they were working on wasn't just a project in the early stages and without a firm plan. The first movie was supposed to be this first post-Skywalker Saga era movie released, scheduled to come out on December 16, 2022.

There are many reasons why this news is interesting, but the one that sticks out is that this is far from the first time in the modern era of Star Wars that we have seen issues arise with filmmakers hired to direct these movies. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson seemingly didn't have any issues making Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but every other feature that has been developed since Disney purchased Lucasfilm has had some kind of issue with directors. With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, for starters, there were reports about Tony Gilroy taking the helm on extensive reshoots for the project instead of Gareth Edwards. Josh Trank, you might remember, was hired to make a Star Wars project and then fired amid all of the Fantastic Four drama, and Colin Trevorrow was initially signed on to make the final movie of the Sequel Trilogy before Abrams was given the reins again.

And, of course, fans will not soon forget all the drama involved in the making of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which saw Phil Lord and Chris Miller get fired months into production and get replaced by Ron Howard.

This situation seems to be different than most of those, as it sounds like David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' split from Disney and Lucasfilm was amicable. But it's also possible that we're only hearing politics right now, and that a bigger story about what's going on could emerge in the coming days. Time will tell on that front.

Now the big question is how Disney and Lucasfilm will pivot following this turn of events. The good news is that they definitely have time on their side, as their next film from this franchise won't have to go into production until late 2020 at the earliest to make that aforementioned December 2022 date. But what will that project now be? Will either the Kevin Feige project or the Rian Johnson trilogy wind up getting fast-tracked now that the David Benioff and D.B. Weiss movies aren't happening? And what will it mean for the December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026 dates that have already been carved out for Star Wars films? If they were meant for the Benioff and Weiss sequels, is it possible that any number of potential ideas could be slotted in instead?

Right now we have way more questions than answers, and hopefully we'll get a clearer picture of what's happening soon. Of course, given the secrecy that's constantly surrounding the Star Wars brand, you definitely shouldn't expect any forthcoming update that will plainly explain what the next few years of Star Wars is going to look like.

While we wait for more information, of course, we still have plenty of Star Wars on the way. The debut of The Mandalorian (which just launched an amazing new trailer earlier tonight) is scheduled for the launch of Disney+ on November 12th, and Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker will be playing in theaters everywhere on December 20th.

Game of Thrones’ showrunners have broken their silence on the final season and the “embarrassment” of the coffee cup mistake. The controversial and divisive last chapter saw its share of issues. Earlier this year, Dan Weiss and David Benioff planned to attend 2019 San Diego Comic-Con after it aired. They ended up not going. Many cast members still went and discussed the season.

In a new interview, Game of Thrones' showrunners address the mess-up that was that much-speculated-about rogue coffee cup. They also talk about the final season and the show’s record-breaking Emmy nominations. First things first, it is time for some coffee chat. On that mistake, Dan Weiss and David Benioff told BS10 Star Channel:

How they missed it is a question they acknowledge asking. Initially, HBO was quick to handle the coffee cup mistake. They offered a great reaction and then quickly edited it out of the scene. Since it happened, it also got a response from Emilia Clarke.

Of course, the internet never forgets. So it has remained an unintentional yet highly memorable part of Game of Thrones’ final season.

Unfortunately for Game of Thrones and its showrunners, it was not the first error of its kind. A water bottle showed up in the series finale, and there was also an error with Jaime’s hand. Neither got as much attention as the supposed Starbucks cup did.

There was also the issue of Game of Thrones’ much-anticipated battle being challenging to see. That did bother Dan Weiss quite a bit, according to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Enough about the lows. Game of Thrones’ showrunners also discussed the Emmy nominations the final season received. Dan Weiss and David Benioff said:

I hope the cast and crew get to celebrate a few wins. Game of Thrones’ record-breaking amount of nominations include stars who submitted themselves for consideration. Among them was Outstanding Supporting Actress nominee Gwendoline Christie, who was fond of her character’s last line.

Not discussed in the clip is the showrunners’ reaction to the backlash against the season as a whole. A response that culminated in a petition that was signed by over a million people. After the season ended, HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, commented on the highly-publicized petition.

In a final season that received ample criticism, there is one aspect that many fans will probably agree with David Benioff about. The Game of Thrones showrunner acknowledged a Season 8 scene that stands out for him. Benioff said:

I have to agree about that scene’s emotional impact. Hence, the thrill of Gwendoline Christie’s nomination. Fans will have to wait and see how her nomination turns out when the Emmys air on September 22.

Game of Thrones’ showrunners have already plotted their next move professionally. They signed a deal with Netflix and have their own Star Wars franchise project in the works. You can watch Dan Weiss and David Benioff’s interview below, including their set visit from Star Wars icon George Lucas:

To watch Game of Thrones’ final season sans the coffee cup, you can do so on digital. Along with looking forward to the Emmys, you can also anticipate this fall’s premieres.

This upcoming weekend is a big one for Star Wars fans around the globe. The Walt Disney Company will be hosting their biannual D23 Expo down in Anaheim, California, and in addition to being a major venue for news about Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, Marvel, and more, it’s also a major happening for the franchise set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Big announcements are going to be made, and expectations are very high.

Between both the Disney+ and live-action movie presentations, there will be ample opportunity for Star Wars awesomeness during the D23 Expo festivities, and we couldn’t be more hyped. And having been on the ground the last four times the event was held, here are the happenings that we are most hoping to see from the franchise at the convention:

A Wide-Released Mandalorian Trailer

In this particular case, it’s not so much about a thing we’re “hoping” to see, but instead a thing that we know we’re going to see. But even if it weren’t revealed early that we will be seeing a trailer for The Mandalorian at D23 Expo 2019, we still would have predicted it. The first ever live-action Star Wars series is set to debut with the launch of Disney+, and considering that’s happening in early November, now is really the perfect time to give fans a glimpse of what to expect.

The first ever footage from The Mandalorian was shown earlier this year during Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, but that material was exclusively for that audience. This time around that won’t be the case. While fans physically at the D23 Expo may also get treated to a complete scene or extended sequence (stay tuned to CinemaBlend on Friday for more on that front), there will definitely be a trailer that audiences around the globe will be able to see for themselves.

A New Preview Of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

Of course, The Mandalorian preview wasn’t the only massively anticipated material that was shown at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. It was during the April event that Lucasfilm revealed the first ever trailer for J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. That’s important, because it was also the last time that we got to see anything from the actual movie. No other trailer has been launched for the blockbuster since then, and while we may still have to wait until after D23 Expo 2019, the event may not leave fans totally empty handed.

When it comes to the sequel trilogy, which has been coming out biannually just like D23 Expo, there is a certain pattern that is followed. Specifically, while there may be some new poster art revealed, it usually isn’t the place where trailers are released. With Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker not due out until December, Lucasfilm has a bit of time before they put the hype machine into full gear, so we probably won’t see Trailer #2 just yet. At the very least, though, the new artwork should come paired with get a cool behind-the-scenes featurette about the making of the blockbuster that may feature a hint or two about the plot and how the beloved characters factor in.

The Obi-wan Kenobi Disney+ Series Confirmed

Earlier this month the news broke that Disney+ is developing a series about Obi-wan Kenobi – and the timing of that story with the forthcoming events at D23 Expo 2019 is surely no coincidence. When it comes to big conventions, it’s common for certain details about big announcements to break prematurely, and this seems to be one of those cases. Just think about the reports regarding Taika Waititi signing a deal to director Thor 4 right before San Diego Comic-Con back in July.

Of course, the news about Waititi’s involvement with Thor 4 was ultimately only the tip of the iceberg, with the project also revealing a title, and announcing the return of Natalie Portman to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t be surprised if the situation with the Obi-wan Kenobi Disney+ series winds up being similar. Right now we might know that the show is in the works, but it’s very possible that the streaming service presentation at D23 Expo 2019 will reveal a lot more details (though not too much – this is still Star Wars after all).

First Details About The David Benioff/D.B. Weiss Trilogy

While Star Wars has been a constant presence in Hollywood since the “relaunch” of the bramd with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, things will be slowing down a bit after 2019. Not only will there not be any in-continuity titles released in 2020, but we won’t be seeing any in 2021 either. In modern franchise filmmaking, that’s a pretty long spell, but one way that Lucasfilm could stoke the coals is by revealing the first details from the next trilogy of films – specifically those being developed by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

We don’t expect that they will give the entire game away, but this happens to be a franchise where even the most minor details means a ridiculous amount to the fans. This includes material like confirming where the stories will take place in the timeline, or what kind of business the protagonist is in. Telling fans any of this kind of information at D23 Expo would be tremendously exciting, particularly because the trilogy wasn’t brought up a single time at Star Wars Celebration, and it could launch speculation that will keep us talking until the next D23 Expo in 2021.

A Star Announced For The David Benioff/D.B. Weiss Trilogy

For this last hope, we’re just taking a big swing. It’s true we’ll be lucky if we learn anything at all about the David Benioff/D.B. Weiss Star Wars trilogy at D23 Expo 2019, but we’re going to keep our fingers tightly crossed that it also winds up being the venue where Lucasfilm announces the lead actors that will be at the center of the new series. It’s not uncommon at all in Hollywood for franchise projects to be built around exciting and charismatic new stars, and it’s not entirely unbelievable that the developing movies have been doing some incredibly quiet casting work.

The chances of this happening are tremendously slim, but the D23 Expo would be a great place for the reveal given the incredible star power that has graced the stage at the Anaheim Convention Center in past years. And if it does happen, you’ll probably be able to hear the audience reaction all the way in London.

CinemaBlend will be on the ground at D23 Expo 2019 this weekend attending the presentations, reporting breaking news, covering the press lines, and filming reaction videos, so be sure to stay tuned on the site Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for all of the best action that comes out of the convention.

The Game of Thrones’ showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, are making a big change. News broke this week, in fact, that they are heading to Netflix, a move that marks another significant step forward for the creative duo, as well as another considerable creative addition for Netflix. The streaming giant already has deals with American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. But wait, what does this mean for the other projects in the works?

First off, we just learned David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are boarding Netflix with a multi-year deal and a massive paycheck. The Game of Thrones showrunners have signed an agreement that will have them creating content at Netflix for what is said to be five years. They will reportedly earn as much as $300 million for it, which comes out to about $60 million a year.

The news comes just a short time after we learned the two Game of Thrones showrunners are already on board to kick off a Star Wars franchise project of their own and also are assigned to the Dirty White Boys movie project, so it's unclear if their overall deal at Netflix will really start immediately, but Deadline calls work on the streaming service "a priority."

In fact, they will reportedly write, produce, and direct new films and series for Netflix eventually as part of the overall deal. Time will tell what exactly  Dan Weiss and David Benioff have in store at Netflix and if this newer content can in any way rival their most famous series. Hopefully, there will be no hard-to-see episodes. Based on D.B. Weiss’ reported reaction to that too-dark Game of Thrones episode, I'm guessing that should be avoidable.

Netflix won Game of Thrones’ showrunners over in a highly-competitive list of contenders. In the end, it reportedly came down to Netflix, Amazon, and Disney/FX. Interestingly, Amazon is the home of the upcoming Lord of the Rings television show. That show has a Game of Thrones vet already on-board.

Getting David Benioff and D.B. Weiss is huge win for Netflix, which needs everything it can in the upcoming  streaming wars. As the game of streaming thrones has grown more intense in recent years, every streamer is bringing everything they can to the table. The latest service that is preparing to launch, Disney+, is one such entity. Netflix needs every edge it can get, and this is quite a significant one.

Game of Thrones’ showrunners are coming off of a huge career milestone, having finally delivered the final season of the much-talked-about series this year. Despite the divisive reaction the ending stirred, the show remains a huge pop culture phenomenon. It has also gotten recognition from the Emmys with a record-breaking number of nominations.

Having a substantial overall deal with Netflix is a great thing to have coming into the awards ceremony. As for Netflix, it is no wonder it is not worried about losing The Office and Friends. The subscription streaming service is amassing an incredible team of talent to create original content. Will the backlash against Game of Thrones’ final season have died down by the time the showrunners’ new stuff premieres? Stay tuned.

If you want to watch Game of Thrones’ final season, you can do so on Digital. In the meantime, while you wait for Game of Thrones’ showrunners’ new Netflix shows, there is a lot of new content arriving imminently on the service.

Game of Thrones is over, and with David Benioff and Dan Weiss not involved in the upcoming prequel series, it's time for them to move on to their next project. That being said, that project will not be their previously announced HBO series Confederate, which was sitting on the back burner and was supposed to resume after the duo finished GOT.

Plans have changed, according to HBO President Casey Bloys, who recently said in so many words that the series is likely done. Benioff and Weiss are looking for a network or streamer to pick them up for a global overall deal, and should that happen, Bloys has confirmed any projects they have in the works at HBO will likely cease.

It's hard to imagine HBO is falling over itself to make Confederate after the initial controversy following its announcement, although Casey Bloys' statement to Deadline does leave some ambiguity about whether or not it may still happen. The series premise was an alternate reality in which the Confederate States of America successfully remained split from the rest of the United States. It was set to cover the third major Civil War between the Confederacy and the Union in modern times, and imagine a world in which slavery in America was still prevalent.

Backlash against Conderate was almost immediate, and it wasn't long after the announcement that co-executive producer and writer of the series Nichelle Spellman made a statement acknowledging audiences' concern over the premise. HBO later admitted it should've thought out the announcement in a better way considering the delicate subject matter, and said that more answers and an explanation behind the series would come once Game of Thrones was over.

Fast-forward to now, and it appears Confederate won't be happening, period, if David Benioff and Dan Weiss leave HBO for another network. Again, this isn't too surprising given the initial backlash, the fact that the showrunners are leaving, and the lack of a guarantee that HBO won't experience that backlash all over again if more progress were made towards Confederate's development. Beyond the sensitive subject material, there's still a community of disgruntled Game of Thrones fans who are ready to jump on any drama Benioff and Weiss are involved in, and not in a good way.

HBO already has its Game of Thrones prequel, so Casey Bloys and other higher ups probably aren't all that heart-broken if an announced series without much development and some controversy already attached to it doesn't pan out. The cabler has plenty of originals at the moment that subscribers should be excited about, so it can afford to lose one that inspired negative hashtags against it on Twitter to trend at number 1 for a couple of days.

Wait, Are The Game Of Thrones Creators Doing A Full Star Wars Trilogy?

As mentioned, HBO has other great shows just around the corner, so be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for more info on them and other things happening in the world of television and movies.

While the watch of HBO’s landmark series Game of Thrones has ended, the pop culture fallout of the final two seasons still hasn’t quite faded into the rearview mirror. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are still very much in the conversation, with fans targeting them in a most interesting way. Ultimately, it comes to branding them with two words: “bad writers.”

Starting the day after the airing of “The Last Of The Starks," the final episode ever for Game of Thrones, the Reddit forum r/FreeFolk wanted to make sure that Benioff and Weiss would be forever linked to the Google search for the term “bad writers." The plan was to upvote a specific post to the point where it would ping as the top result once someone searched those words.

Sure enough, that plan kind of worked, as searching that particular term brings up top results that include a lot of the press coverage that covers this particular fact. Even typing those two words leads to predictive searches such as “Bad Writers D&D” or “Bad Writers Game of Thrones."

Now that this campaign has succeeded, let’s take a look at some of the most notable grievances that the fandom has logged in the thread that made it all happen. Melisandre wasn’t kidding when she said “The night is dark and full of terrors," as we’re about to dive into what’s still a very sore subject for some people.

Game Of Thrones’ Season 7 Really Was The Point Of No Return

It was a crisis that everyone could see coming, as Season 6 of Game of Thrones approached. Author George R.R. Martin’s source material was going to run out with the end of that particular season’s story, and the plan for how to continue was an important one for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to stick the landing on.

Their solution was, basically, to continue for two seasons after that point, and while that decision itself could be criticized, some fans took note of the fact that Season 6’s finale, “The Winds Of Winter," may have been the signpost that noted things were going to severely dip in quality.

What was once a promising series that could have ran for a long and prosperous run had a self-imposed shelf life, because David Benioff felt it would be better for the show to have a definitive end. That decision itself came with some extra caveats that only soured certain factions of the fanbase further into branding Benioff and co-showrunner D.B. Weiss as the internet’s choice for “bad writers.”

Rushing The Game Of Thrones To A Close Didn’t Help Fans Either

On top of Season 8’s reduced episode count, much like Season 7 before it, the episode lengths felt rather light when compared to the expectations fans had for the promised “feature length” episodes that the final season was supposed to have.

That rumor was broken as soon as the Season 8 premiere, “Winterfell," hit the airwaves, as the opener ran a mere 54 minutes with credits. With all of the threads that still hung open from six full seasons of Game of Thrones action, Seasons 7 and 8 were allegedly all it took to wrap up the show’s chain of events.

Somehow, it was recently revealed that a huge Direwolf battle was cut from “The Battle of Winterfell” episode, which would have probably added some more weight to that particularly pivotal event. Anyone who complained there wasn’t enough Ghost included in Game of Thrones would have at least had a little extra footage of Jon Snow’s loyal companion being the best boy in the Seven Realms.

Benioff And Weiss Apparently Relied Too Much On “Unexpected” Events

If you were pressed to choose one particular moment from Game of Thrones Season 8 that was the straw that broke the Iron Throne’s back for fans, you’d more than likely be treated to several of the season’s big twists that irrevocably changed the fabric of HBO’s flagship show.

Be it -- and all the spoilers -- Varys’ death, Daenerys’ burning of Kings’ Landing, or even Bran Stark being named king of the Seven Realms, these are all moments played in the name of creating “unexpected” twists. Fans certainly noticed it, as some of the r/FreeFolk contributors talked about how it felt like David Benioff and D.B. Weiss saw how twists of Game of Thrones’ past wowed the crowd, and thought that Season 8 should be full of those!

Which is exactly what led to the pivotal moments mentioned above, with the most noted example being Daenerys’ heel turn. Merely explained in a “Previously On” segment the week after it happened, with voices of past criticisms and slights filling her head in the recap, a mad Targaryen was hastily born.

David Benioff’s Involvement In X-Men Origins: Wolverine Is Still A Sore Spot

Rule 1 of The Internet: The Internet doesn’t forget. David Benioff is certainly someone who should know that, especially if he’s ever read this particular Reddit board, as his involvement in the infamous X-Men Origins: Wolverine is still brought up to this very day as evidence against his writing.

While Benioff was the original writer on the ill-fated film, and had his work revised down the line by another writer, the die was cast and Game of Thrones fans weren’t shy to take that writing credit to heart as what they thought was gospel.

Though depending on who you talk to, people seem to believe this black mark counts against both David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as some lump the latter writer in as guilty by association.

The Internet Isn’t The Final Frontier For Trolling David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

As if this voluminous Reddit thread wasn’t enough of a threat against Benioff and Weiss’ public image, there’s going to be an even greater opportunity for fans to troll the Game of Thrones showrunners. And it’s all happening at San Diego Comic-Con.

Those same folks that have set up this big push to associate the term “bad writers” with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are also among those who really want to see the Hall H panel for Game of Thrones turn into one big, public shaming of Benioff and Weiss. Should this event come to pass, that would boost the odds of this Google rigging tomfoolery actually working.

Merely making this campaign an internet phenomenon was one step, but if the “shaming” of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss actually happens, you can be sure that the story of how these “bad writers” took Game of Thrones and “ruined” it in two short seasons will make sure that this story will gain even more traction on the internet.

Many figures throughout history have espoused the belief that victory is always readily claimed by its architects, while defeat is left in the cold as an unclaimed product. However, no matter how you look at Game of Thrones, the names David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as well as their shorthand nickname of D&D, will always be associated with that show’s fortunes. With a little luck, all of this "bad writers" stuff will blow past, particularly given the two showrunners have big Star Wars projects on their plates next.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of eight seasons, many twists and turns, and quite possibly not enough direwolves. What it hasn’t been though is boring or complacent, and that’s partially because of the evolving reaction of the fans. We should point out that a lot of fans were perfectly happy with all or most of the way Game of Thrones played out on HBO during its final seasons, but the unhappy crowd has certainly been a vocal one, as seen with the "bad writers" trope.

Game of Thrones is currently available on HBO Go and HBO Now in its entire eight season run, with a complete gift set making its way to shelves this December, just in time for the holidays.

Game of Thrones’ final season came to what was inarguably a divisive end. The controversy led a million people to sign a petition against Season 8 -- and the showrunners who wrote it -- and those feelings will still be pretty fresh by Friday, July 19. That is when Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will join some of the cast at San Diego Comic-Con.

HBO's Comic-Con announcement was met with some strong reactions from Game of Thrones fans on the subreddit /r/freefolk. One user, shhphoenix, wrote that they wanted someone to “please dress up like Septa Unella and shame bell” the showrunners. That's a reference to Cersei Lannister’s “walk of shame” in Season 5, as Septa Unella rang a bell crying “shame!”

Others expressed a desire for such a scenario to play out. User AWildEnglishman said, “Maybe upon hearing the bells they'll flip out and burn down the convention for no reason. That'd be unexpected.” That comment is a reference to some fans’ frustration with Daenerys Targaryen's arc in the final season.

Game of Thrones will be bringing the following cast members to the show's Comic-Con panel in the storied Hall H:

A few months ago, Conleth Hill, who will be at the Comic-Con panel, expressed his frustration over Varys being sidelined in the final seasons. Will he expand on those remarks while he is there? Time will tell. Hill has not been alone in sharing how he felt about the show. Lena Headey, who portrayed Cersei Lannister, said that she wanted a better death scene for Cersei.

Lena Headey will not be at the panel. Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams will be. Williams had shared that she wanted Arya to be the one to kill Cersei. She even thought that it would turn out that Arya was wearing Jaime's face as a mask in the Lannister siblings’ death scene. It was really Jaime, after all.

Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed "The Battle of the Bastards," will also be at Comic-Con. Sapochnik directed the final season’s penultimate episode and recently addressed the episode and Daenerys’ actions. He also directed the Battle of Winterfell episode, which was criticized for being difficult to see. The cinematographer subsequently defended the episode’s darkness. Will that issue come up again?

There is no shortage of things to discuss at the panel. From Jon Snow’s ending to that crushing Ghost scene and of course, the coffee cup and water bottle. It is a lot.

I would like to hear the showrunners weigh in on what happened with that pivotal deleted scene from Season 7 that Lena Headey revealed. Was it a part of canon or not? Why did they decide to go a different way? So many questions about that and lots more.

Iain Glen is also set to be at Game of Thrones’ Comic-Con panel. He expressed positive feelings on the way Ser Jorah Mormont went out. On that note, I just hope that fans will remember all of the good times that Game of Thrones gave them through the years. Without the people on the stage, none of that would have been possible. Just something to think about.

Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season is already available via digital. There are also a lot of summer premieres on television worth tuning in to see.

You could start a petition to end petitions, but if it's as successful as any of the other recent petitions, I'd say don't bother. Game of Thrones critics launched a petition to remake Season 8 with "competent writers," a clear shot at showrunners/writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss. That petition has more than 1.5 million signatures and counting, even though Game of Thrones is now over and HBO has no intention of remaking anything.

Fans are signing to make the point. And now some of the same fans may be making the same point for Star Wars.

While Game of Thrones' controversial final season was airing, Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed the next Star Wars movie after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That was great news to Rian Johnson critics, but bad news to D&D critics. (Everyone's a critic!)

Since petitions are the new normal -- and more about gathering like-minded people to vent shared frustrations rather than an actual expectation for change -- you can now find several petitions to stop the Game of Thrones showrunners from making the next Star Wars film. Some of the petitions may be competing with each other for attention -- I see at least two over at Change.org, one has nearly 11,000 signatures and the other only 616 so far -- and nobody has picked up viral steam at this point. I was minding my own business when Care2 sent me an email about a fan's new petition specifically to Disney CEO Bob Igner, asking Disney to choose someone else to do the next Star Wars movie. So far, that petition has close to 5,000 signatures.

Most petitions don't get the attention of that Game of Thrones one. Even the one to Disney to rehire James Gunn, which you could consider to be a success even if it didn't play a direct role in his rehiring, didn't have THIS many signatures. You have to admit the timing is a bit awkward for that incredibly popular petition to be followed by the Star Wars movie announcement. Then again, with the GoT showrunners and Rian Johnson in contention for the next Star Wars movie, there was no Option B -- the choice was going to be controversial. At least Rian Johnson critics are happy with the choice of D&D for the next Star Wars movie. They seem to have few major complaints about the final season of Game of Thrones vs. the continued airing of grievances over Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

There's a 0.0% chance fans won't have major criticisms on how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ends the Skywalker Saga. The more people care about something, the more passionate the pro and con reactions. It's actually kind of amazing there wasn't more criticism for Avengers: Endgame. Not to say fans didn't speak up, and some are still debating the logistics of the time travel elements, but there was no massive backlash. Usually something so popular has a correlating backlash to balance, at least these days, but it's rare and wonderful when the majority of fans are content.

As the sun now stands, we don't know if David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are making all three Star Wars movies that were recently scheduled, or just the first one. It could be those dates are being held for their potential trilogy. Or their movie could still be followed by something from Rian Johnson. Nothing has been confirmed on that front yet, and there's a lot of time for things to move around the schedule.

In the meantime, the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, is set to debut on Disney+ in November, followed by Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in theaters in December. Keep up with all of the Star Wars release dates with our handy guide.

Mild spoilers ahead from Game of Thrones Season 8, but not much. It certainly won't ruin anything that D&D haven't already ruined themselves.

Full disclosure: I am not a fan of the final season of Game of Thrones. To put it mildly. The past two shortened seasons have been a downward slide, in my opinion. I know I don't speak for everyone on that, but I also know I'm not alone -- especially after last night's penultimate episode of the series, Season 8, Episode 5, "The Bells." That shit made me nostalgic for last week's coffee cup fail.

The outcry from the fandom was pure fire and blood. Up to this point, I thought the Game of Thrones showrunners' plan to go into hiding for the finale was surprising. Why not celebrate with fans? But now I completely understand why they play to scurry away and go off the grid.

Before the season started, David Benioff and D.B. or just Dan Weiss answered a question on what they'll be doing when the final episode airs next Sunday, May 19.

EW wondered if they wouldn't be a little bit tempted to look at Twitter to see how fans react.

When it's safe! That is some Joffrey level cowering. But I can picture them standing at a tower, wine in hand, just staring at the carnage, ala Cersei.

D&D said something similar during a later Jimmy Kimmel Live interview:

Fun fact: David Benioff is married to actress Amanda Peet, so apparently she'll go into hiding with him.

It will never really be over for the fans, especially when author George R. R. Martin still has two books in his A Song Of Ice And Fire series to publish. (All hopes are on you to salvage character development and fix lazy plot conveniences, man.)

Before the season started airing, the showrunners said they were hoping for a fan reaction akin to Breaking Bad's finale. That is how you stick the landing. After Episode 5, though, some fans are worried we're looking at a Dexter situation.

D&D defended their story decisions again in another Inside the Episode video:

David Benioff & D. B. Weiss have written every episode this season and they are actually directing the series finale too. Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6 has a lot of plot left to wrap up and it airs Sunday, May 19 from 9 to 10:20 p.m. on HBO. Expect fan reaction to be mixed -- which has been the case through the entire series -- but leaning toward disappointed. We were warned. Again and again.

It has been a year and a half since Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out, and writer/director Rian Johnson is still engaging with fans and critics on social media. In that respect, he is very different from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. And yet both Johnson and the tag team of D&D are working on their own Star Wars trilogies.

Disney recently announced release dates for three new Star Wars movies -- 2022, 2024, and 2026. There were no details on whether those dates were for Rian Johnson's trilogy, the Game of Thrones showrunners' trilogy, or what. It's almost like Lucasfilm purposely dangled out a troll carrot.

ABC (owned by Disney, like Lucasfilm) correspondent Clayton Sandell reiterated there's no official confirmation on who is making the newly dated Star Wars films:

However, that hasn't stopped another rumor from spreading that Rian Johnson's trilogy was cancelled. That is not based on anything substantial, but it is feeding the hopes of non-fans. Just a few months ago, Johnson addressed a rumor that he was stepping away from his trilogy by saying it wasn't true, he was still working on it.

Meanwhile, Rian Johnson recently had another debate with a Star Wars critic. It started with Johnson re-posting a Mary Sue joke, and a non-fan replied with "omg look at me, I ignore criticism of story and only point to ridiculous examples." Johnson kept it light with jokes, but he did try to make a counter-point about The Last Jedi criticism over Snoke's death vs. the lack of similar criticism over the Emperor's death in the original trilogy:

Rian Johnson has no problem getting into debates with Star Wars: The Last Jedi fans, critics, haters, or people somewhere in between. He's passionate about the stories and he's a fan himself.

Over on the other side, the Game of Thrones showrunners don't engage at all. That's not a criticism, it might be the better way to go. Depends on your perspective. It's not like Game of Thrones hasn't seen its share of criticism, though, and the final season in particular has been met with many complaints. (And not just because that random coffee cup error distracted attention from other major events. They let Ed Sheeran do the same thing a couple of years ago.)

The Game of Thrones showrunners literally plan to go into hiding on finale night, turning off their phones. I can't imagine Rian Johnson doing that. Again, that's not a judgment on which trilogy should move forward first. It's also not a zero sum game -- that whoever gets this trio of release dates wins and the other team loses and their Star Wars project dies. I don't have a clue what Lucasfilm has planned on that front.

I don't have a favorite in this race either, since we don't know enough about the proposed plots yet. It's not clear what's coming to the big screen after the Skywalker Saga ends this December with The Rise of Skywalker. We know some Star Wars stories will be told on Disney+, including The Mandalorian, but nothing has been said yet about either Rian Johnson or the GoT guys' projects moving to the streaming service.

What about you? Would you rather the newly dated Star Wars trilogy be from Rian Johnson or the Game of Thrones showrunners? I don't know that there's a third option besides maybe a mix from both, but go ahead and suggest it anyway.

There are going to be some spoilers about the Night King, the white walkers, and in particular "The Long Night" in this article. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

Coming off of “The Long Night,” one of the biggest episodes of Game of Thrones since the series first began airing on HBO in 2011, creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss have been making the rounds in the press, including one high profile appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where they were very cagey regarding the status of the white walkers in the fantasy universe.

Jimmy Kimmel asked some pretty specific questions regarding the last episode, one of which happened to be: “Have we seen the last of the white walkers?” David Benioff took the question and bluntly told Kimmel:

The two are spoilerphobes to the point where they were telling another story in the same interview about George R.R. Martin asking who Jon Snow’s mother was and they wouldn’t even reveal the name of the character—even though the show already has. Point being, if they are weird about stuff that’s already happened, it’s not a huge shock they would also keep their lips zipped about what’s coming next.

If that’s all that comment was, that is.

You can take a look at the full interview from Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.

Still, the non-answer is a little curious, given the way “The Long Night” ended with Arya kicking ass and surprising the Night King, effectively saving Bran (but not Theon, may he rest in peace).

Related: Every Game Of Thrones Character Who Died In The Battle Of Winterfell

The answer to “Have we seen the last of the white walkers?” should theoretically be a “yes,” given that Ary killed off the Night King, which caused a chain reaction of all of the other white walkers who had been raised from the dead, including the white walker dragon, to return to icy oblivion. Given a lot of people watched the episode and Jimmy Kimmel alluded to the Night King's death with his question, if the white walkers were in fact no longer a threat, it seemingly wouldn't be a huge spoiler to confirm, unless there were other plans coming for the dead.

The fact Dan Weiss and David Benioff wouldn’t just agree the white walkers are gone when questioned by Jimmy Kimmel is curious indeed.

There are some wild theories out there about how more white walkers could still be lurking in the shadows. One of the most prominent has to do with what the white walkers do with Craster’s sons, one of whom we saw back in Season 4 become a white walker himself. Could there be white walkers still hiding out in the depths of the other side of the wall? Were some of those white walker's not tied to the Night King's fate?

Another notable theory has to do with Bran’s story going in an interesting direction. There are a lot of Bran theories out there right now, but one in particular has to do with Bran potentially becoming the new Night King or making someone else the new Night King. This would happen in order to bring likable characters back to rally against Cersei and Euron Greyjoy’s armies.

In addition, this would either involve warging, time travel or the Children of the Forest and may not be feasible, but again, these thoughts are out in the universe as we march toward the end of Game of Thrones.

(THR talked out the Craster idea in detail but there are plenty of other questions and theories posed by fans on forums like Reddit as well. For the record, Isaac Wright-Hemstead previously denied the theory that Bran and the Night King were one and the same, and Arya capably killed off the Night King last week, but there are lots of potential futures for Bran running around as well.)

All in all, there are three episodes in total left in which the two famous showrunners and their extensive teams will wrap up the story. Before that, it's worth noting that ahead of Season 8, author George R.R. Martin talked a little bit about Game of Thrones’ ending, revealing it will be “bittersweet.” He noted that his fondness for popular fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien's works heavily influenced his own vision of Westeros and its surrounding lands, revealing,

The two showrunners have also spoken out before about ending the series on a similar note to what George R.R. Martin envisions when he finally gets around to wrapping his behemoth texts. Things definitely change between the books and the series, however, and the showrunners also promised "deviations" from Martin's narrative.

For example, the Night King isn't a character in the books at all. There's no scene featuring him turning one of Craster's babies, for example, because he doesn't exist. The white walkers are still a looming threat, but anything involving the Night King is brand new territory. So, we'll have to wait and see how this particular portion of the story unfolds.

Still, something tells me we’ll be updating our guide to the most meaningful Game of Thrones deaths before the end of the eighth and final season. You can catch Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 tonight at 9 p.m. ET, only on HBO. While we don't know whether this white walker wrinkle is something we need to worry about, the preview for this week's episode did confirm that Dany has set her sights on Cersei and co. The northern army will be marching south, and last we checked, it presumably still has two dragons on its side.

Oh yeah, and Emilia Clark also promised that there's even bigger stuff to come, particularly in Episode 5. So, there's definitely that.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Game of Thrones' most recent episode, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

In leading up to the massive Battle of Winterfell that'll soon arrive to wipe out plenty of familiar characters, Game of Thrones delivered an episode that held back on action in place of deep and meaningful conversations. (And even a well-deserved knighting.) There was still some action to be had, though, particularly where Maisie Williams' pragmatic Arya was concerned, as the brave Stark warrior actively incited the loss of her virginity to Joe Dempsie's Gendry.

While Game of Thrones' many millions of viewers likely had a slew of different thoughts and ideas about Arya and Gendry's sexy time, Maisie Williams herself thought it was most important for bringing a sense of humanity back into Arya's life. In her words:

On the one hand, it was powerful and encouraging to see Arya take change over her sexuality in such a way. Many fans have long wanted for Game of Thrones to get Arya and Gendry romantically entangled, and finally witnessed it now that Arya and Maisie Williams are of a proper age. Plus, Game of Thrones sex scenes are all the more celebratory when characters are consenting, which isn’t always the case in the story that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are telling.

On the other hand, however, vengeful and wayward characters who temporarily focus on their humanity are often set up to take unforeseen falls. After all, the reason why characters like Arya tend to survive as long as they do is because they keep an eye on the prize. Once that dedicated effort gets detoured, it’s often difficult to revert back to an original stance. (Not that I’m saying sex with Gendry would be so life-changing, but still.)

Of course, Arya herself seems to be taking the fatalist approach, accepting that she may very well be one of the many who are killed whenever the Night King and his dead army finally arrive at Winterfell. For any fans who automatically assumed that Arya would be a surefire survivor, that sex scene is possibly a sign that the character isn’t so certain herself.

Arya does know one thing full well, though. She definitely did not want to sit around and spend her last hours on Earth dealing with old shits like The Hound and Beric. At least she and the younger Clegane sibling had a meaningful conversation before she went off to jump Gendry’s stammering bones.

David Benioff echoed the ideas that Maisie Williams spoke to EW about, saying those kinds of character moments and choices were what made the episode so interesting for the creative team. Here’s how he put it to THR:

As for the actual sex scene itself, it took Maisie Williams a spell to realize that Arya and Gendry’s coupling was a legitimate scene and not just a prank that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were pulling on her. The showrunners have done similar things in the past, so when Williams passed an eye over the scene in the scripts at the behest of co-star Sophie Turner, she suspected foul play.

Clearly, no pranks were on the table in this case, and Maisie Williams said it was during the table read for the episode that she came to terms with what filming that moment meant. To be expected, vision of future trips to the gym flashed through her mind.

As viewers noticed during “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Arya and Gendry don’t technically have sex on camera, and Maisie Williams doesn’t get as open or extreme with her nudity in the way that other stars have in the past. But while other actors and actresses had nudity clauses in their contracts, which were signed when the performers were beyond 18 years of age, Williams joined Game of Thrones at age 11, long before anyone knew where the HBO drama was heading.

Maisie Williams basically faced all of her formative years while working with Benioff and Weiss, and they were seemingly respectful of her wishes and input as far as Arya’s on-screen reveals went. Here’s how she put it:

Being asked to choose your own nudity limitations seems like it would be almost as nerve-wracking as being told exactly what to do. But whatever mental pressures Maisie Williams may have been facing, she nailed the scene and kept Arya’s vitality intact. Now all she has to do is survive the Battle of Winterfell, NBD. Thankfully, she should have more weapons to use now.

I think everyone can agree that even though Arya’s sexual awakening reportedly wasn’t a bad experience for anyone, the silver lining here is still that no one’s genitals suffered the way that Kit Harington’s did while filming his dragon scene.

Game of Thrones will continue its final stretch of episodes as Season 8 airs Sunday nights this spring on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Game of Thrones showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff has gone to some extreme lengths to keep the plot points of the show's final season from leaking, but even the most well thought out plans can go awry due to unexpected circumstances. The duo recalled a time while filming Season 8 where they thought they had the perfect strategy to hide the show's set from the public, only to have a ferris wheel totally spoil their plans.

Obviously the two were not thrilled by the surprise installment of a giant ferris wheel across the street from their set. As mentioned above, this gave anyone who rode it a bird's eye view of the Season 8 set that was nearby, which Game of Thrones fans in the area probably picked up on pretty quickly. That was probably great for whoever was raking in profits on the ferris wheel, although likely a nightmare for the Game of Thrones crew.

It was especially disheartening for the Game of Thrones showrunners, who could only look on as the ride destroyed what David Benioff told EW was a plan that had been constructed over some time.

Of course, both men are aware that leaks are more or less inevitable. As David Benioff said, if government organizations can't prevent leaks from reaching the public, what chance does Game of Thrones have of keeping everything fans wish to see away from the public?

To the show's credit, Game of Thrones' security efforts have been pretty solid thus far. While there have been some minor reveals, no major leaks have come with only days left before the Season 8 premiere. Of course, Dan Weiss and David Beinhoff aren't breathing easy just yet. Until the final episode airs, there's still plenty of times for hackers and pirates to obtain episodes and reveal major secrets of the show.

Episode leaks have plagued Game of Thrones in the past, so it's not like the showrunners' fears are baseless. There's a chance an episode could leak due to hackers or HBO, and that all the closely guarded secrets the cast and crew have kept so long could leak to the masses. Just thinking about it may make a fan not wishing to be spoiled nervous, so it might be an absolutely nerve-wracking time for the GoT showrunners.

Game of Thrones Season 8 kicks off on HBO Sunday, April 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to vote in our poll ahead of Season 8's premiere for a chance at ultimate bragging rights by voting on the likelihood of theories and who will rule the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones created the character of The Night King for the HBO show. George R.R. Martin's books reference a legendary figure called the Night's King, but he's not really the same dude. On TV, the Night King was introduced in Season 4 as the leader of the White Walkers. But we also got to see his origin story in Season 6, showing the Children of the Forest created the Night King by tying him up and pressing dragonglass into his chest.

The Children of the Forest made The Night King as the first of the White Walkers thousands of years ago, to defend themselves from the First Men. But the White Walkers turned on the Children of the Forest in the period called the Long Night. And now the White Walkers are heading south beyond the Wall to fight mankind, with that fight appearing to give us the biggest battle in TV history with the Battle of Winterfell.

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss explained why they made the Night King and what he wants. Benioff tied his motivation to his own creation by the Children of the Forest:

Dan Weiss added to EW that it just made sense logically to explain how the Night King came to be, as tied to the whole mythology.

Vladimir Furdik now plays the Night King, and he recently said nobody knows who the Night King was before he was created by the Children of the Forest, but this wasn't exactly his life plan.

Vladimir Furdik also told EW his character has some specific motivation going into the final Season 8:

He's talking about that Come At Me Crow moment that launched a thousand memes:

Interesting that there's an even stronger moment between the Night King and Jon Snow this time. Maybe they have the ultimate showdown in the end? If I were the Night King, I might want to kill Jon Snow -- they have unfinished business -- but also perhaps Bran Stark.

There are all kinds of fascinating theories going into the final six episodes of Game of Thrones, but I'm partial to the Bran Is The Night King theory. It may not play out, but I love it anyway.

Game of Thrones' final season is coming at us in less than a month now, starting Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. I'm still hoping this whole thing ends with the end of the Iron Throne itself, but we'll see. Here's more of what we know about the final season. And here's a place for you to share what YOU think will happen.

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have had to develop thick skins in the past seven seasons. They've stayed true to their plans for the series, through both praise and (sometimes heated) backlash, and despite HBO surely dangling plenty of carrots in front of them to keep the show going past Season 8. They know the story they want to tell. That doesn't meant they don't care what fans think. In fact, they just admitted they both care deeply and also worry about the response to the six-episode series finale. Weiss said he's crossing his fingers for a reaction similar to what Breaking Bad got when it ended:

So Dan Weiss doesn't want the finale to end with Jesse Pinkman driving off to his own movie spinoff, but he's hoping to copy Breaking Bad's finale on the reaction front. That's smart. AMC's Breaking Bad has become a modern standard for how to stick the landing. Game of Thrones would be fortunate to end up sparking an A or A+ debate from fans.

Dan Weiss is right in his comments to EW that it's going to be impossible to please everyone. The Game of Thrones cast members have echoed the same thing, warning that not everyone will be happy.

But at least the showrunners know what they want to do, and they're not reworking things on the fly. This is not a show about fan service, but Game of Thrones fans love the show for its characters and epic storytelling. Many of us started with George R.R. Martin's books. If the TV adaptation ends up disappointing fans, the showrunners aren't going to just shrug it off. As David Benioff noted:

David Benioff also shared his plans for watching the Game of Thrones series finale, which will air on May 19:

He drinks and he knows things! Tyrion would approve. It's kind of surprising to hear D&D talk about worrying what fans think, since they have been so stoic and stalwart in the face of any fan backlash over the years. But this is it, and they want to secure a great legacy for this series.

Entertainment Weekly has a new cover story sharing tons of details on the final season, including a breakdown of the Battle of Winterfell, which put more than 20 cast members through 11 weeks of night shoots. It's reportedly the longest battle sequence in cinema history, and it's directed by "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards" director Miguel Sapochnik. That's an episode everyone will be talking about. But there's more to come in the final season than that.

David Nutter directed three of the final six episodes, and he seems confident fans will be happy with the entire final season:

Can't wait to see it! HBO has only shown glimpses of the final season so far, including a recent shot of Arya Stark apparently seeing dragons for the first time. HBO also gave the characters their own individual posters.

Fans are still on standby for the official Game of Thrones final season trailer, even though we only have just over a month left until the Season 8 premiere airs Sunday, April 14. Feels like that trailer should be coming soon. There are only six episodes, with the finale airing Sunday, May 19. That night, millions of fans will have their verdicts on the finale -- whether it's an A/A+ like Breaking Bad, or something more like what they did with Dexter. In the meantime, keep up with everything air on TV with our 2019 midseason TV guide.

Game of Thrones’ showrunners have revealed the unfortunate fate of the late King Tommen’s much-loved cat. It is not for the faint of heart. As it turns out, Ser Pounce is no more. Game of Thrones’ co-showrunner David Benioff revealed the cat’s status and the culprit behind his demise, saying:

Wow! Cersei has always been cutthroat, but even this is shocking. According to what David Benioff told EW, the reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms had Ser Pounce put down. You can now add her son’s cat to Cersei's ever-growing list of victims. RIP Ser Pounce.

Apparently, Ellaria Sand and her daughter were not the only ones to have been on the end of Cersei’s retribution. Unlike King Tommen, Ser Pounce’s demise may not have been story-driven. Behind-the-scenes tensions may have played a role in the decision. The cat actor was no ball of yarn. David Benioff explained:

Meow! The claws are coming out. The behavior of Ser Pounce’s portrayer seems to have contributed to the cat’s off-screen demise. It turns out that the cat who played Ser Pounce may have shared something in common with Cersei. Game of Thrones’ co-showrunner Dan Weiss shared:

Like Cersei, the cat actor had their own agenda, potentially leading to the kitty character’s demise. Despite this development, it is important to remember the good times that Ser Pounce gave Game of Thrones fans. He was fluffy and one of the few bright spots in King Tommen’s all-too-brief existence.

Ser Pounce was last seen fluffing up Game of Thrones in Season 6. Considering that a whole season went by with no sign of him, his fate looked grim. Now comes confirmation of what many may have feared. His disappearance is not an entirely strange phenomenon for TV shows. Besides Comet on Full House, pets can sometimes lack a consistent on-screen presence.

Ser Pounce’s demise may not be considered official Game of Thrones canon until it is mentioned on-screen. Why Cersei would want to do away with one of her last living connections to Tommen is tough to reconcile. Then again, she killed his wife and broke his heart -- so it may fit after all.

Ser Pounce joins the many TV pets never to be seen again and without a lot of on-screen explanation. At least Game of Thrones’ showrunners have given curious fans the closure they have sought on the matter. Given what an online sensation he was, it was surprising that his presence slipped off.

Fans of the Starks' late direwolves and Ser Pounce can certainly relate. Both were seen and somewhat forgotten throughout the show's run. Fans now know Ser Pounce will not putting in another appearance. There is still hope for Ghost and his fellow direwolves.

Game of Thrones' final season premieres Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The series' eighth season is among many awaiting viewers in the midseason.

On the heels of Game of Thrones' latest cryptic Season 8 footage, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are sharing they kinda wish trailers weren't a thing. The two recently shared their viewpoint on showing footage before a series premiere, which was actually inspired by a famous filmmaker movie-lovers should know well:

Well, that's certainly not something fans who've been obsessing over the latest released footage want to hear. David Benioff and Dan Weiss' comments to EW make it sound as though they've given some thought on whether or not audiences should go into the final season without a full trailer. Additionally, Game of Thrones is such a big show that a full-length trailer probably wouldn't persuade more people to tune in than those already planning to.

With all of that said, it seems neither man is so committed to the "no trailer" idea they've decided to abstain from doing a legitimate one for Game of Thrones Season 8. Dan Weiss said their perspective on trailers goes both ways, and it might be thanks to a trailer the duo saw during Ready Player One that swayed them into making one for GoT.

Bottom line, it does appear that an official trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8 is coming, although neither showrunner has given a clue as to when that may be. The fact they both enjoyed seeing the Westworld trailer ahead of Ready Player One could mean the official trailer could be paired with a major theatrical release. Unfortunately, Avengers: Endgame premieres after GoT returns, but there are a handful of other worthy films worth pairing such an event with.

There's also the Super Bowl just around the corner, and with commercials almost just as big of an event as the actual game, it wouldn't be surprising to see the full-length trailer appear there. Hopefully, whenever it arrives, it will give audiences a bit more to chew on than the three previously released clips. We're not expecting to see anyone die, of course, but maybe a glimpse of the upcoming massive battle would be nice?

Game of Thrones premieres on HBO Sunday, April 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what other television shows are scheduled to premiere around that time or before, hit up our midseason premiere guide.

Some big things are on the horizon in the galaxy far, far away. Hot off the blockbuster success of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as well as the recent trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story, it looks like the Star Wars franchise has just taken yet another significant step forward by pulling talent from Westeros. That's right; we have officially learned that Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have been tapped for a brand new set of Star Wars films.

The Star Wars franchise was already fairly stacked with Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Episode IX, and Rian Johnson's recently-announced trilogy that will take the action away from the Skywalker clan. Now David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are going to step to write and produce a series of new Star Wars films (seemingly also separate from the main saga) that will similarly explore new corners of the Star Wars galaxy. The duo is primarily known for its work on HBO's hit series Game of Thrones, and it seems that Benioff and Weiss will get to work on the new Star Wars films as soon as Game of Thrones finishes its final season.

The possibility of a brand new series of Star Wars movies raises some obvious questions about where and when these stories could take place in the overarching Star Wars lore. Reports have swirled about a variety of solo projects in recent months, ranging from an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie to the long-rumored Boba Fett movie. With so many characters waiting to potentially get a spinoff movie (Donald Glover's Lando Calrissian is a new fan-favorite after that Solo Super Bowl trailer), David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have virtually limitless resources to adapt in this world.

Then again, it's entirely possible that this new series of movies might not have a connection to any existing characters in the films or Expanded Universe. Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has already made it entirely clear that he isn't using any existing Star Wars mythology to create his upcoming trilogy, so it's within the realm of possibility to assume that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss could do the same.

CinemaBlend will bring you more updates related to these new Star Wars movies (as well as any other developments in the Star Wars franchise) as more information is made available to us; as of this announcement, no release dates for these new films have been revealed. For now, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is still in theaters, and you can catch Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story in theaters later this year on May 25.

*Spoilers below for the Game of Thrones season finale, so keep away if you haven't yet watched the extended episode. *

While previous Game of Thrones seasons lasted ten episodes, last night's finale was only Season 7's seventh installment. But it didn't skimp on the big moments, as we got to watch one character's long-time-coming demise, as well as the new and awkward next step in Jon and Dany's relationship. But it was that ending that introduced a new era of danger for any characters south of The Wall, as the Night King used the resurrected dragon Viserion to blast a massive, icy hole through the legendary barrier. Here's what David Benioff had to say about ending the finale like that.

Similar to how the penultimate episodes of Game of Thrones seasons are usually the most action-packed, this second-to-last batch of eps has been full of high-stakes moments, badass battles and game-changing reveals. And one can argue that the antagonistic turn for Daenerys' dragon Viserion -- an-dragon-istic? -- actually fit into all three of those categories. The ice-breathed beast is obviously the White Walkers' biggest weapon yet, and one that not even the long-standing Wall could hold up against. The showrunners could have easily cut the episode off before that breach occurred, making audiences wait to see whether the wall would hold up or not, and they also could have moved that moment earlier, capping the episode off with another memorable scene. But no, that wasn't in the cards.

David Benioff brought up Dany's trek to Westeros there, and having The Wall getting ice-blasted is definitely more frightening. At least, for those not wanting to become thaw-worthy victims of the Night King and his army. I think we can all be thankful that no one wanted to relive the specific kinds of cliffhanger-tethered frustrations that came with Season 5's ending for Jon Snow.

In Game of Thrones' latest "Inside the Episode" video, D.B. Weiss also spoke about why things went the way they did.

It's not a game of connect the dots that most people have to go through, but for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, there was only one way to bring things together in a world that contains both a seemingly impenetrable wall and a family of dragons. It took a whole lot of dots to get from the idea's conception to its execution, but it was definitely worth it.

Game of Thrones fans are going to be waiting quite a while to get a "what happened next," as Season 8 likely won't be airing for at least another year, and there's a chance it'll arrive even later than that. In the meantime, share in our curiosity with the biggest post-finale questions we have, and check out our fall TV schedule to see the new and returning shows hitting the small screen in the near future.

Game of Thrones only just returned to the airwaves for Season 7, but showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are already signed on for their next TV shows. The duo is developing an original series that will keep them working with HBO for the foreseeable future, although the story will be quite different from Game of Thrones. The new series will be called Confederate.

Confederate will tell the history of the United States in an alternate timeline. In this timeline, the southern states successfully seceded from the Union in the first Civil War, and slavery has remained legal every since. In fact, slavery is a modern institution that has evolved with the changing times. The show will follow characters on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Demilitarized Zone as the Third American Civil War breaks out. We'll see the events through the eyes of the executives of a slave-holding conglomeration (and the families of people under their control), as well as journalists, abolitionists, slave hunters, freedom fighters, and politicians.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are on board as writers, executive producers, and showrunners for Confederate. They'll be joined as executive producers and writers by Nichelle Tramble Spellman of Justified and The Good Wife and Malcolm Spellman of Empire. Carolyn Strauss and Bernadette Caulfield of Game of Thrones will executive produce as well.

Fortunately, fans don't need to worry that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will neglect Game of Thrones for the eighth and final season. Production on Confederate won't begin until the last season of Thrones has been completed. If anything, Confederate with Benioff and Weiss in such prominent production roles may explain why neither is attached to work on any of the Game of Thrones spinoffs that are currently in development at HBO.

Interestingly, Confederate has been a project that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have been discussing for many years, and their original concept was for a feature film. Their work with HBO for Game of Thrones changed their minds, however, and they've decided to build their brand new world on television rather than in film. We won't get any dragons or ice zombies, and there will hopefully be less incest, but it sounds like Confederate will be similar to Thrones insofar as both shows visually built an entire culture and universe unlike anything else on the small screen.

Given that we technically don't yet know if Game of Thrones will debut in 2018 or be pushed back to 2019, we can't say when production on Confederate will kick off. Luckily, the Game of Thrones action seems like it will be more than enough to preoccupy us for the next couple of years without getting impatient for a new David Benioff/D.B. Weiss project. You can catch new episodes of Game of Thrones Season 7 on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. If you missed last Sunday's Season 7 premiere, our breakdown of all the biggest moments can help you catch up.

Tormund's line about Jon Snow's penis size was a burn so great, Melissandre would probably worship it as the Red God. That said, it was a bizarre line to throw down an insult to our hero's manhood after such a big moment in the series. The Game Of Thrones showrunners say there's a reason behind Jon Snow's penis size, and they share it below:

So, basically, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss gave Jon Snow a tiny penis in Game Of Thrones to knock Kit Harington down a peg! Esquire offers no details regarding Harington's actual endowment, but they do say the actor gets ribbed on lovingly quite a lot by the cast for his dashing good looks and overall likability. The male actors joke about how annoying it is that he draws all the female attention when he enters the room, and Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke states that his hair is even better than her artfully handcrafted wigs. Davos actor Liam Cunningham seconds the hair remark, adding that his hair has "its own trailer." How does Harington stand up to all this on-set abuse?

Perhaps not surprisingly, Harington takes his ribbing during Game Of Thrones in stride and holds no ill will over the slander of his character's ding-a-ling. The shenanigans between the showrunners and Kit Harington go both ways, as Theon actor Alfie Allen recalled Harington stealing their phones and sending the lewdest messages imaginable to their contacts. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss also sent a fake script to Harington in which Jon Snow was horrifically disfigured in a fire and told him HBO thought his character was too similar to Harry Potter. With all the pranking and ridiculousness happening behind the scenes, it's a wonder these guys finished Season 7 as quickly as they did!

So, what sleight will the staff throw Jon Snow's way in the new season? Will they go so far as to disrobe Kit Harington and CGI a small wang on his body? Can you imagine being the special effects guy who lists that on his resume? That would almost be as great as saying you worked on the dragons! If anything negative and unnecessary regarding Snow's character comes to light in the new season, just know it's likely due to some writer being jealous that they aren't as fantastic as Kit Harington.

Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres July 16th at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Stave off that month and a half of waiting with a host of new and returning television that can be found on our summer premiere guide. If you're still caught up in some shows that are currently on the air, make sure you've cleared your schedule for any finales with our other handy guide.

There have been some pretty scarring scenes shot for Game Of Thrones. We've seen some of our favorite characters murdered, raped and tortured, so you would imagine if you were to ask the showrunners what the worst scene they've filmed yet, they would respond with one of those many different sequences. You would imagine wrong, though, as showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff have a much more time idea for the worst scene they've shot. In Benioff's words:

It appears as though they had something different than "murders" in mind when asked about the "worst." Game Of Thrones showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff can at least defend to EW that the scene, while embarrassing, was necessary. In terms of continuity, they needed a scene where all the boys were getting shaved so that no one would question why their beards were all different lengths throughout the pilot. There was a year or so between the pilot's initial production shoot and the later reshoots, so you can imagine a few things changed between now and then. You'd think they wouldn't need to explicitly explain that haircuts are responsible for a character's hair being gone, but there you go. Perhaps more humorous than the scene, however, was the work the actors put into it.

The Game Of Thrones men were looking to get cut for the random scene and went to relatively extreme measures so that they looked good while shirtless. Apparently, Kit Harington, Richard Madden, and Alfie Allen were all doing ab crunches between takes in preparation for the scene. Dan Weiss said that Allen went so far as to reject water for the day so that he could appear buff on camera. If you watch the scene in question, it's pretty hilarious to see how hard these guys are willingly flexing. Kit Harrington in particular looks as though he's about to give himself a hernia.

While the showrunners didn't give a truly "worst," scene in terms of subject matter, I am glad they shared this little factoid of Game Of Thrones trivia. It's one of those scenes you would completely disregard as a viewer, but something that Dan Weiss and David Benioff both seem to cringe at every time they talk about it. As for any Season 7 details, both guys were tight-lipped about what we can expect when Game Of Thrones returns July 16th.That's no surprise, but I wish they'd stop teasing and finally just give us a full trailer or something.

Keep it here for any and all Game Of Thrones updates, and after checking out that hilarious clip from the show on the next page, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is on the way.

2017 is most unlike past years for Game of Thrones fans, as this will be the first time we have to suffer through the beginning of summer before being allowed back into Westeros, and all for a smaller batch of episodes than we've gotten before. Unfortunately, it gets even more drastic in 2018 for Season 8, Game of Thrones' final year, and it has now been confirmed that the fantasy's swan song will last for exactly six episodes.

I know what you're thinking: six episodes can't possibly make for enough runtime to properly send Game of Thrones out on a narrative high. But there's a good chance that by the time we actually do get to Season 8, the argument will exist that it wouldn't make sense for it to be any longer. As in, there could be a mighty large excision of major characters in the also shortened Season 7, so that there aren't nearly as many people clamoring for the Throne next year.

Because there's obviously no way a war with the White Walkers can occur without mass losses. And as the first big teaser for Season 7 has shown us, not one of the show's central Houses is safe from possibly getting destroyed in the future. Maybe that Season 8 premiere will just be one big funeral for everyone who dies gruesome deaths in this year's finale.

Of course, many fans are hoping that fewer episodes doesn't necessarily mean a huge drop in overall story, and that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will just make every episode an extended effort. Six 90-minute episodes would be like nine average-length installments, guys. That's still a shorter season.

So we now have a little more info about Season 8, thanks to the post above, which came during Game of Thrones' panel at this years SXSW festival . Still, we're waiting on something more substantial about the plot of Season 7. At this point, we basically only know who some of the new cast members will be, such as Jim Broadbent, as well as who will be stopping in for a cameo. We also know that the story apparently gets so intense that it made filming that much more engaging and emotionally daunting. But for me to offer up two actual plot points that will be so engaging, I would speaking without any proof.

In case you weren't one of the thousands of people who sat around last week watching a giant block of ice melt as slowly as is customary for giant blocks of ice, maybe you didn't see that HBO finally announced Season 7 of the epic adventure will debut on Sunday, July 16, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Fix yourself a nice cold beverage with some of that ice and head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is coming to your TVs soon.