Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss have ‘regretfully’ decided to walk away from the planned Star Wars trilogy.
The writers were set to create three films that will carry on the story after Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker brings the current saga to an end.
But having signed with Netflix for a brand new project, the pair are worried they won’t be able to give both their full attention, and have decided to leave the galaxy far, far away.
In a statement, they 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. 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.’
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy praised David and Dan as ‘incredible storytellers’.
She added: ‘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.’
Back in August it was announced that David and Dan had signed a ‘multi-year deal’ with the streaming service.
Their Star Wars trilogy was set to kick off in 2022.
They had previously admitted they were ‘a little terrified by the responsibility’ placed on their shoulders by taking on the much-loved sci-fi series.
Hopefully whatever they cook up with Netflix turns out to be less divisive than the final season of Game Of Thrones.
In a new interview they confessed they ‘didn’t know’ what they were doing as they were so inexperienced.
Making a rare appearance at the Austin Film Festival, they said of Game Of Thrones author George RR Martin: ‘We don’t know why he trusted us with his life’s work.’
They admitted to making basic writing mistakes, saying: ‘Everything we could make a mistake in, we did,’ which included script, casting, and even costume design. To them, the experience was basically an ‘expensive film school’, an opportunity to learn how to write, produce and direct.
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