Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss have stepped down from their deal with Lucasfilm to develop a new Star Wars trilogy citing their commitments to Netflix as a reason for their exit. “We love Star Wars. 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,” they said in a statement. They added,
“But 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.”David Benioff and DB Weiss; Producers
In February, it was announced that Benioff and Weiss would write and produce a new series of films which would be separate from the trilogy that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is developing. It was to also stand alone from the Skywalker saga which includes Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released last December and the upcoming Star Wars Episode IX which JJ Abrams is working on. The first instalment was expected to release in 2022.
In April, the duo signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Netflix to write, produce and direct new series and films for the streaming giant.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said the studio hopes to work with the two writers one day. “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,” she said.
The studio has lined-up a number of spin-off projects including The Mandalorian, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and a Rogue One prequel which are expected to release on parent company Disney's upcoming streaming service Disney+. It was reported last month that Lucasfilm's sister company, Marvel Studios' honcho Kevin Feige is also working on a potential Star Wars movie.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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