Game of Thrones creators, David Benioff, and Dan Weiss, are a hot commodity now that their tenure with HBO has come to a close. Many outlets were probably anxious to grab these creative minds but one has finally won out. Netflix has closed a massive $200 million deal with the duo for fresh new content.
The $200 million pact is a multiyear overall film and TV deal. Under the new pact, Benioff and Weiss will depart their longtime home at HBO and create and develop new projects for the streaming giant. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos had this to say about the deal:
“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.”
Benioff and Weiss were also in discussions with Disney (and its newly owned cable network FX) and Amazon and came to their decision after extensive talks with Netflix. Benioff and Weiss are already in business with Disney, working on a Star Wars trilogy for Disney-owned Lucasfilm. Amazon Studios had been the front-runner until early July when Netflix re-emerged with a competitive offer. Benioff and Weiss also released a joint statement about the deal:
“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. 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.”
HBO met with Benioff and Weiss’ legal teams and quickly determined that they did not want to compete to keep them given the size of the deal and their looming commitment to Star Wars. Still, the two will be credited as executive producers on any and all Game of Thrones prequel series.
