David Benioff & D.B. Weiss Exits Planned ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Project With Disney

Here’s a shocker: after creating the beautiful world of Westeros and subsequently moving to forge a new path for the galaxy far, far, away, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are no longer attached to develop a new Star Wars trilogy.

Benioff and Weiss were set to work on a new era of Star Wars films that will follow JJ Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker. No details were given about the project, but it was said to introduce a new story that would have expanded the story after the Skywalker saga concludes this December. It was a highly-anticipated and much-publicized deal that would have seen the Star Wars franchise reach new heights.

According to Deadline, the pair cites scheduling conflict with the current deal with Netflix as the reason for their departure. Though that is the case, Benioff and Weiss maintain their enthusiasm for the saga. “We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us too,” Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. “Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime, and we will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything.”

“There are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects. So we are regretfully stepping away,” the GoT pair continued.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy mentioned earlier this year that the Game of Thrones duo was going to work with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson for the trilogy. And since Benioff and Weiss are departing the project, Johnson’s hand in the development of the project also remains to be seen.

The nixing of the Star Wars trilogy also comes a year after Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the studio is “slowing down” on the production of Star Wars movies. “We are just at the point where we’re going to start making decisions about what comes next after J.J.’s,” Iger said. “But I think we’re going to be a little bit more careful about volume and timing. And the buck stops here on that.” This hiatus, however, will only last until 2022. Kennedy revealed in May that three Star Wars films are currently set in stone for a respective December 20, 2022, December 18, 2024, and December 18, 2026 release.

Despite the unfortunate news, Kennedy is keeping the gates open for Benioff and Weiss to come on board. “David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers,” Kennedy said. “We hope to include them in the journey forward when they are able to step away from their busy schedule to focus on Star Wars.”