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Oct. 29 (UPI) -- David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will no longer direct a new Star Wars trilogy. Deadline reported Monday that Benioff and Weiss, best known for the HBO series Game of Thrones, have walked away from their deal with Disney's Lucasfilm.
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Benioff and Weiss were to launch a new feature film trilogy in 2022. The Skywalker saga, which started with George Lucas' Star Wars in 1977, will come to a close with The Rise of Skywalker in December.
"We love Star Wars," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. "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."
Benioff and Weiss cited their busy schedules. The pair landed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Netflix in August to write, produce and direct new projects.
"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.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said she hopes to work with Benioff and Weiss in the 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," she said.
Kennedy is overseeing a number of other Star Wars projects, including a new film from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Disney+ released a new trailer for The Mandalorian this week.
