“Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are no longer working on a new trilogy set in the “Star Wars” universe, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
No reason was given for their departure, but in a statement provided to TheWrap, Benioff and Weiss 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.”
“David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers,” Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement also provided to TheWrap. “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.”
A new “Star Wars” trilogy created by Benioff and Weiss was first announced in February 2018. While no plot or story details were ever disclosed, Lucasfilm said at the time that the trilogy would be entirely separate from the episodic Skywalker saga which is set to end with “The Rise of Skywalker” in December.
It was also unrelated to another film trilogy being developed by Rian Johnson, writer-director of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” The status of that trilogy remains unknown at present. Johnson told “Entertainment Tonight” last week that he has “no update at all” about the status of his trilogy. “But I’m still working with Lucasfilm on it, and they’re figuring out when they do what and everything.”
Disney did not immediately respond to questions about the status of Johnson’s trilogy. But Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is also developing a new “Star Wars” film alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, the studio announced last month. And no new “Star Wars” films have been greenlit after “The Rise of Skywalker,” with the division focusing on TV projects for the new Disney+ streaming service.
Like Johnson’s officially still-on trilogy and the now-aborted Benioff and Weiss series, no details about Feige’s film plans have been made public. But unlike Johnson, or Benioff and Weiss, Feige is a major power within Disney in his own right. And less than two weeks ago he was given even greater responsibility within the company as Chief Creative Officer of Marvel. Under his new title, he now has full oversight over not just the lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also Marvel’s television efforts, animation, and comic-book publishing.
Deadline first reported the departure of Benioff and Weiss.