Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have abandoned plans to work on a trilogy of Star Wars movies. “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 duo said.
Benioff and Weiss recently signed a $200 million multi-year deal with Netflix to produce exclusive content. The decision to walk away from the Star Wars universe means that the pair’s output will be solely under Netflix’s umbrella for the foreseeable future. The first of their Star Wars movies was due to hit theaters in 2022.
“David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen 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.”
“We love Star Wars,” Benioff and Weiss’ statement continued. “When George Lucas built it, he built us too. 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.”
It’s unclear whether Disney plans to continue with the trilogy that Benioff and Weiss were planning, but the company has several Star Wars projects on its slate. Another Star Wars trilogy from The Last Jedi-director Rian Johnson is still in the works, while Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige is developing a separate movie, and Disney+ is launching next month with the live-action series The Mandalorian.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is also due for release in December, and Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a forthcoming Disney+ series.
.