Hollywood's dynamic duo of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have signed an exclusive deal with Netflix. According to Deadline, the deal, which is reportedly in the "9-figure range," will see them write, produce, and direct new series and films for the streaming service.
Netflix confirmed to Deadline it had won the deal but did not share specific numbers regarding the contract. Sources claim the deal is for five years and worth as much as $300 million.
"We are thrilled to welcome master storytellers David Benioff and Dan Weiss to Netflix. They are a creative force and have delighted audiences worldwide with their epic storytelling. We can’t wait to see what their imaginations will bring to our members," said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
Benioff and Weiss also shared excitement in joining Netflix.
“We’ve had a beautiful run with HBO for more than a decade and we’re grateful to everyone there for always making us feel at home. Over the past few months we’ve spent many hours talking to Cindy Holland and Peter Friedlander, as well as Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber," the duo said. "We remember the same shots from the same ‘80s movies; we love the same books; we’re excited about the same storytelling possibilities. Netflix has built something astounding and unprecedented, and we’re honored they invited us to join them.”
Benioff and Weiss are best known as the creators of HBO's Game of Thrones, the adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series "A Song of Ice and Fire." The television series ran for almost a decade and spanned eight seasons. While Game of Thrones earned numerous awards and accolades during its time on air, including 47 Primetime Emmy Awards, the final season was met with mixed reception from critics and fans alike. Questionable creative decisions and a condensed story, thanks in part to the season's shorter overall runtime, led to a divisive final season that believe was brought on by the showrunner's desire to move on to other projects. In February 2018, it was announced that Benioff and Weiss would write and produce a new series of Star Wars films for Disney.
Deadline reports that the duo intend to fulfill their "several" remaining obligations, including the next Star Wars trilogy. They also wrote a Kurt Cobain project for Universal and are poised to adapt the prison escape story Dirty White Boys for Fox/Disney.
With Netflix facing stiffer competition in the streaming space, including Disney launching its own service (Disney+) in November, it's no surprise that Netflix is willing to shell out big bucks for whatever big Hollywood names are out there. The question now is whether or not the final season of Game of Thrones has tarnished their reputation or if they can still create a series or movie(s) worthy of attracting millions of subscribers for Netflix.
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