Netflix wins bidding war to sign Game of Throne creators

Game Of Thrones creators, David Benioff and DB Weiss, have signed a deal with Netflix, the streaming giant has announced.

The duo has signed what sources say is a $200 million multiyear overall film and TV deal with Netflix according to The Hollywood Reporter. As part of the deal, Benioff and Weiss will no longer be producing shows for HBO, where they were showrunners and writers on Game of Thrones for its entirety. They will now work on projects exclusively for Netflix, with the exception of the two’s existing commitment to an ongoing multi-film deal with Disney for the Star Wars franchise.

“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,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, tells THR.

A statement released by Benioff and Weiss reads: “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.” Benioff and Weiss will still get executive producer credits on the planned and in-production Game of Thrones spinoff series, but they won’t be involved in any of the day-to-day production.

The deal is thought to worth about $200m. Netflix saw off Amazon and Disney in a bidding war that initially had six contenders.