The new Star Wars trilogy – slated to begin in 2022 – has lost its creators. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have parted ways with Lucasfilm due to scheduling conflicts caused by their reported $200m Netflix deal.
In a statement sent to Deadline just hours after a new The Mandalorian trailer dropped, the pair said: “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.”
While Benioff and Weiss didn’t reveal what they had planned in a galaxy far, far away, they reaffirmed their love for Star Wars, stating: “When George Lucas built [Star Wars], 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.”
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has responded to the departure, hinting that Star Wars could still be in the Game of Thrones’ creators future: “David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers, 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.”
Benioff and Weiss signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix in August, giving them the ability to create movies and TV shows exclusive to the streaming service. Both Amazon and, interestingly enough, Disney also bid for their services but were ultimately unsuccessful.
The future post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though, is still bright, even with the new trilogy in limbo. Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige is overseeing an unknown movie in the franchise, while Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson also has a trilogy of his own in the works.
What's next? Here are all the new Star Wars movies you need to know about.
