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.
