Game of Thrones creators explain why they turned down producing credit on spinoffs

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of HBO's Game of Thrones, are back in the zeitgeist with their upcoming Netflix sci-fi series 3 Body Problem. However, they still feel the presence of Westeros.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Benioff and Weiss discuss walking away from the Thrones franchise altogether after the eighth and final season of the flagship drama, which was heavily criticized by fans at the time. They also talk about how they declined their contractually guaranteed producer credits on all future Thrones spinoffs.

“HBO was kind of confused,” Benioff said. “I remember their lawyer saying, ‘But it’s just money, we’re just going to pay you.’”

As the creators of Thrones, which is based on author George R.R. Martin's fantasy books, the duo were contractually guaranteed credits on spinoffs like House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the animated projects currently in development, and any other future offshoot HBO may or may not be planning. With that would come a treasure trove of money delivered throughout their lifetime.

“I don’t think there is such a thing as free money," Weiss said. "For us, if our name is on it, especially that, while being completely detached and uninvolved, it felt like the strain that would come with that hands-off approach — with its success or failure or anything in between — was not worth it.”

Benioff and Weiss admit they still have not watched House of the Dragon, the Targaryen prequel drama that is returning for season 2 this summer on HBO and Max. They are, however, completely entrenched in a new genre world.

3 Body Problem is an adaptation of Liu Cixin's book series about Earth's encounter with an alien civilization, as told across multiple timelines. Both Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng portray Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist who makes a decision in 1960s China that reverberates across the centuries. In the present, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective (Benedict Wong's Da Shi) to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.

Game of Thrones alum John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) and Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos Seaworth) reteam with Benioff and Weiss on the drama, which also features Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Saamer Usmani, and Jonathan Pryce.

3 Body Problem will premiere on Netflix March 21.

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