Following a fierce bidding war against Disney and Amazon, Netflix has won an exclusive deal with the creators of Game of Thrones, estimated to be worth $200 million.
In July, it was reported that David Benioff and DB Weiss were being courted by studios for an overall, multi-year global deal to write, produce and direct new TV series and movies.
Benioff and Weiss’s move marks their departure from HBO after a decade of focussing on Game of Thrones, and sees them follow in the footsteps of Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy who have also signed mega-deals with Netflix.
It also means their controversial slavery series Confederate won't proceed with the premium cable network.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told Deadline: “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 added: “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 honoured they invited us to join them.”
