American writer and producer
Daniel Brett Weiss (; born April 23, 1971)
[1] is an American television writer and producer. Along with his collaborator
David Benioff , he is best-known for co-creating
Game of Thrones (2011–2019), the
HBO adaptation of
George R. R. Martin 's series of books
A Song of Ice and Fire .
Early life
Weiss was born and raised in
Chicago ,
Illinois . His family is
Jewish , with ancestral roots in Germany.
[2] He graduated from
Wesleyan University and earned a
Master of Philosophy in Irish literature from
Trinity College Dublin , where he wrote his thesis on
James Joyce 's
Finnegans Wake ,
[3] "Understanding the (Net) Wake."
[4] He later earned a
Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the
Iowa Writers' Workshop .
[5]
Career
Weiss worked as personal assistant on films such as
The Viking Sagas for
New Line Cinema . For a brief period, he also worked as a personal assistant for musician
Glenn Frey .
[3] Weiss went to
Dublin in 1995 to study Anglo-Irish literature and met
David Benioff , the screenwriter of
Troy . Three years later, around 1998, they met again in
Santa Monica, California .
[3]
Weiss and Benioff co-wrote a screenplay for a film titled The Headmaster , but it was never made.
[3] In 2003, they were hired to collaborate on a new script of
Orson Scott Card 's book
Ender's Game , in consultation with the then-designated director
Wolfgang Petersen .
[6]
[7] It was not used.
[8]
Weiss's 2003 debut novel,
Lucky Wander Boy , is themed around video games. In 2006, he said he had written a second novel that "needs a second draft".
[9] The same year, Weiss completed a screenplay for a film adaptation of the video game series
Halo , based on a script by
Alex Garland ,
[10]
[11] but director
Neill Blomkamp declared the project dead in late 2007.
[12]
Weiss also worked on a script for a prequel to
I Am Legend ,
[13] but in May 2011, director
Francis Lawrence said that he did not think the prequel would ever happen.
[14]
Weiss collaborated with Benioff on the HBO television series
Game of Thrones , based on George R. R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire .
[15] Benioff and Weiss also directed three episodes together. For the first two, they flipped a coin to decide who would get the credit on the show. Weiss received directing credit for "
Two Swords ",
Season 4 episode 1, while Benioff was credited for "
Walk of Punishment ",
Season 3 episode 3.
[3] Benioff and Weiss were both credited for co-directing the series finale, "
The Iron Throne ".
On July 19, 2017, Weiss announced that he and Benioff were going to begin production on another HBO series,
Confederate , after the final season of Game of Thrones . Weiss and Benioff said, "We have discussed Confederate for years, originally as a concept for a feature film, but our experience on Thrones has convinced us that no one provides a bigger, better storytelling canvas than HBO."
[16] In January 2020, HBO President Casey Bloys confirmed that the project had been officially canceled.
[17]
On February 6, 2018,
Disney announced that Weiss and Benioff would write and produce a new series of
Star Wars films after the last season of Game of Thrones ended in 2019.
[18] Toward the end of the last season, a petition to
HBO was started on
Change.org . It described showrunners Benioff and Weiss as "woefully incompetent writers" and demanded "competent writers" to remake the eighth season of Game of Thrones in a manner "that makes sense".
[19] The petition eventually amassed over 1.5 million signatures.
[20] In the
Chicago Sun Times ,
Richard Roeper wrote that the backlash to the eighth season was so great that he doubted he had "ever seen the level of fan (and to a lesser degree, critical) vitriol leveled at" Game of Thrones .
[21]
In early 2019, Weiss and Benioff entered into an exclusive $200 million deal with
Netflix to produce several films and television shows exclusively for it.
[22]
[23] In late October 2019, it was reported that Weiss and Benioff had exited their deal with Disney due to their commitments to Netflix.
[24]
[25]
[26]
Weiss and Benioff's first project on Netflix were as directors of
Leslie Jones 's
stand-up comedy special Time Machine .
[27]
In September 2020, it was announced that Weiss, Benioff and
Alexander Woo would write and executive produce the Netflix series
3 Body Problem based on the similarly named Chinese
novel series .
[28]
Personal life
Weiss and his wife, Andrea Troyer, have two children.
[29]
Bibliography
Author
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
Year
Title
Award/Nominations
2011–2019
Game of Thrones
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (2015,2016,2018 and 2019)
[30]
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (2015-2016)
[30]
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation , Long Form (2012)
[31]
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation , Short Form (2013-2014)
[32]
[33]
Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Drama (2015)
[34]
Golden Nymph Awards for Outstanding International Producer (2012)
[35]
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (2011-2014)
[30]
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (2011-2014)
[30]
Nominated—Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Drama (2011-2014, 2016, 2018)
[36]
[37]
[38]
[39]
[40]
[41]
Nominated—
BAFTA for Best International Programme (2013)
[42]
Nominated—
Writers Guild of America Award for Dramatic Series (2011-2012, 2014–2016, 2018)
[43]
[44]
[45]
[46]
[47]
[48]
Nominated—
Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama (2015-2016)
[46]
[47]
Nominated—
Writers Guild of America Award for New Series (2011)
[43]
Nominated—Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (2015, 2017)
[49]
[50]
Nominated—
USC Scripter Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (2016-2017)
[51]
[52]
Nominated—
Humanitas Prize for 60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television (2017)
[53]
See also
References
^
"D.B. Weiss Biography" . StarPulse . Archived from
the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013 .
^
"The Jewish legacy behind Game of Thrones" . Times of Israel .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"The Surprising Connection Between Game of Thrones and Monty Python" . Vanity Fair . March 24, 2014.
^ Weiss, D.B. (1995).
" "Understanding the (Net) Wake" " . The Modern Word . Retrieved October 16, 2022 .
^
"Bio" . Lucky Wander Boy . Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^
"Game of Thrones : Interview with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss" .
HBO . Archived from
the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2013 .
^
"DB Weiss talks Halo " . Writerswrite.com . July 19, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^
"Card talks Ender's Game movie" . IGN . IGN Entertainment, Inc. April 18, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2009 .
^
"GameSetInterview: Halo Screenwriter DB Weiss" . GameSetWatch . July 13, 2006. Archived from
the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^ Miller, Ross (July 14, 2006).
"DB Weiss takes on Halo script" . Joystiq . Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^ Fritz, Ben (October 31, 2006).
"No home for Halo pic" .
Variety . Retrieved October 20, 2007 .
^ Farrell, Nick (October 9, 2007).
"Halo movie canned" .
The Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2008 . {{
cite news }}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link )
^
"I Am Legend prequel in the works" . UPI.com . September 26, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^
"Exclusive: 'I Am Legend Prequel' is Dead, Says Francis Lawrence" .
MTV Movies blog . May 3, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011 .
^ Fleming, Michael (January 16, 2007).
"HBO turns Fire into fantasy series" .
Variety . Retrieved February 22, 2011 .
^ Hibberd, James (July 19, 2017).
"Game of Thrones showrunners reveal their next epic HBO series" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 19, 2017 .
^ Ausiello, Michael (January 15, 2020).
"Confederate Officially Axed: HBO Confirms Controversial Slavery Drama From Game of Thrones EPs Is Dead" .
TVLine . Retrieved February 24, 2020 .
^ Brenican, Anthony (February 6, 2018).
"Game of Thrones creators developing new Star Wars films" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 6, 2018 .
^ Multiple sources:
"Game of Thrones petition: 500,000 demand series eight remake" .
BBC News . May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019 .
McCarthy, Tyler (May 16, 2019).
" 'Game of Thrones' fans are petitioning HBO to remake the last season 'with competent writers' " .
Fox News . Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
" 'This was abysmal': Nearly 1 million disgruntled 'Game of Thrones' fans demand a final season remake" .
The Washington Post . May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019 .
Fieldstadt, Elisha (May 16, 2019).
"Nearly 800,000 'Game of Thrones' fans sign petition for remake of season 8" .
NBC News . Retrieved May 17, 2019 .
Jancelewicz, Chris (May 15, 2019).
"More than 1 million upset 'Game of Thrones' fans sign petition to remake Season 8" .
Global News . Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
^ Staples, Louis.
"Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Lost – why is it so hard for TV shows to pull off the perfect ending?" .
The Independent . Retrieved May 26, 2019 .
^ Roeper, Richard (May 19, 2019).
" 'Game of Thrones' finale review: Enthralling series comes to a satisfying end" .
Chicago Sun Times . Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (August 8, 2019).
"What Will David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Bring to Netflix For $200 Million?" .
W . Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ Statt, Nick (August 7, 2019).
"Game of Thrones creators sign $200 million Netflix deal to make exclusive shows and films" .
The Verge . Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ Boucher, Geoff (October 29, 2019).
" 'Star Wars' Setback: 'Game Of Thrones' Duo David Benioff & D.B. Weiss Exit Trilogy" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
^
"Game of Thrones creators Benioff and Weiss drop Star Wars movies for Netflix" .
The Guardian . October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
^ Byford, Sam (October 29, 2019).
"Game of Thrones showrunners quit Star Wars trilogy to work on Netflix projects" .
The Verge . Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (December 19, 2019).
" 'Leslie Jones gets a Game of Thrones-themed trailer for Netflix special Time Machine" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 19, 2019 .
^ Otterson, Joe (September 1, 2020).
" 'Three-Body Problem' Series From David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo Set at Netflix" .
Variety . Retrieved September 3, 2020 .
^
"Andrea Troyer: Game Of Thrones D.B Weiss' Wife" . Retrieved May 5, 2019 .
^
a
b
c
d
"Game of Thrones" . Emmys.com . Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
"2012 Hugo Award Winners" . thehugoawards.org .
World Science Fiction Society . September 2, 2012.
Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
"2013 Hugo Award Winners" . thehugoawards.org .
World Science Fiction Society . September 1, 2013.
Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
"2014 Hugo Award Winners" . thehugoawards.org .
World Science Fiction Society . August 17, 2014.
Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
" 'Big Short' takes home top prize at Producers Guild of America awards" .
Fox News . January 24, 2016.
Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^ Leffler, Rebecca (June 14, 2012).
"HBO's 'Game of Thrones,' 'Game Change' Win Top Prizes at Monte Carlo TV Festival" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
"PGA Announced Theatrical Motion Picture and Long-Form Television Nominations for 2012 PGA Awards" .
TVLine . January 3, 2012. Archived from
the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^ Chitwood, Adam (November 28, 2012).
"Homeland, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, and Louie Lead Television Nominations for 2013 Producers Guild Awards" .
Collider .
Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
"TV Nominees For PGA Awards Unveiled" .
Deadline Hollywood . December 3, 2013.
Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
" 'American Sniper,' 'Birdman' & 'Boyhood' Among PGA Awards Nominees" .
Deadline Hollywood . January 5, 2015.
Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^ DeSantis, Rachel (January 5, 2017).
"People v. O.J., Stranger Things score Producers Guild Award nominations" .
Entertainment Weekly .
Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^ Dupre, Elyse (January 5, 2018).
"2018 Producers Guild Award Nominations: The Full List of Film and TV Nominees" . E! News . Retrieved January 5, 2018 .
^
"Television in 2013" .
British Academy of Film and Television Arts . 2013.
Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
a
b A. Fernandez, Jay (February 19, 2012).
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The Hollywood Reporter .
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^
"WGA Announces TV Nominations" .
The Hollywood Reporter . December 6, 2012.
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^ Hipes, Patrick (December 4, 2014).
"Writers Guild TV Nominations: 'True Detective' & 'Louie' Lead Way, Amazon Breaks Through With 'Transparent' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
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^
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Variety .
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^
a
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"WGA TV Nominations Include 'Westworld,' 'This Is Us' and 'Stranger Things' " .
The Hollywood Reporter .
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"Writers Guild Award TV Nominations: 'The Americans,' 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'GLOW' Grab Multiple Mentions" . Variety . Retrieved December 7, 2017 .
^
"2015 Nominations" . thehugoawards.org .
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^ Gartenberg, Chaim (April 4, 2017).
"Here are the 2017 Hugo Award nominees" .
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Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^ THR Staff (January 7, 2016).
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^ McNary, Dave (January 11, 2017).
" 'Arrival,' 'Fences,' 'Game of Thrones' Earn USC Scripter Award Nominations" .
Variety . Retrieved April 12, 2017 .
^
" 'Game of Thrones,' 'Black-ish' Top Humanitas Prize Finalists" . Variety . January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
External links
Awards for D. B. Weiss
1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
International National Artists Other