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 David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had been hired in 2018 to write and
produce a trilogy of new movies in the blockbuster Walt Disney
Co franchise, with the first scheduled for release in December
2022.
But the creators of HBO's hit fantasy series said they were
stepping away from the project to focus on new work for
streaming service Netflix.
"We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us
too," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement late on Monday.
"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," they added.
Disney had said the trilogy from Benioff and Weiss was expected
to tell a story separate from the Skywalker series that began
with the 1977 film starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and
Harrison Ford, and which is due to conclude with the December
movie "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
Disney and Lucasfilm did not return requests for comment on
Tuesday on how their withdrawal would affect the planned 2022
movie, details of which had not been announced.
The "Star Wars" franchise is one of the most valuable in
Hollywood. The 2017 film "The Last Jedi" took $1.3 billion at
the global box office and Disney earlier this year opened "Star
Wars" lands at its theme parks in California and Florida.
Fans seemed relieved at the exit of Benioff and Weiss, given
widespread disappointment at the conclusion earlier this year of
their medieval fantasy TV series "Game of Thrones."
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"I am very relieved to read that D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have
stepped away from their Disney/Lucasfilm deal (to create a new
trilogy). The last two seasons of #GameOfThrones proved without
source material ... they are lost," wrote Marty Kottick on Twitter.
Others hoped their departure would clear the way for the first
woman, or person of color, to direct or write a "Star Wars" movie.
"Consider how many people who aren’t white men LOVE #StarWars, and
would be more than happy to be a part of the next phase of the
franchise!" tweeted a user, Liz Shannon Miller.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in a statement called Benioff
and Weiss "remarkable 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
added.
Disney also has announced a separate "Star Wars" trilogy in the
works by "The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson. No release date has
been unveiled.
Meanwhile, "Star Wars" embarks on another phase on Nov. 12 when
spinoff TV series "The Mandalorian" begins streaming on the new
Disney+ service.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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