Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have abandoned their plans for a trilogy of Star Wars movies which would have been released in 2022, 2024 and 2026.
The duo have attributed their decision to their recent five year deal with Netflix to produce television, which has been rumoured to be worth $300 million. As a result, they have said they don’t have enough time to make the Star Wars movies, which had been estimated to take place during the Old Republic era.
In a statement, the pair said: ‘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. 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.’
Meanwhile, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said: ‘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.’
Other Star Wars content currently in the works and being released imminently includes The Mandalorian, which has its first season going live on November 12 via Disney+. Similarly, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released in theaters on December 20.
The second season of The Mandalorian is currently being written, with producer Jon Favreau assigned, and there is an Obi-Wan Kenobi series being directed by Deborah Chow. Furthermore, an untitled Cassian Andor series is partly written and directed by Tony Gilroy.
