Game of Thrones showrunners "regretfully" quit new Star Wars trilogy

The twosome, who were originally announced to be writing a spin-off trilogy to the Star Wars saga in February 2018, have decided to draw back from the project in order to focus on their upcoming projects with streaming giant Netflix.

In a statement announcing their departure, 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. 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 is remaining hopeful that they may return to the sci-fi franchise at a later date.

“David Benioff and Dan Weiss are incredible storytellers,” she said. “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.”

The previously slated first new episode in the upcoming Star Wars trilogy was set to launch in 2022, with two sequels set to be released in 2024 and 2026, but at these early stages it is currently unknown whether Benioff and Weiss’s departure will affect the scheduled release dates.

The duo signed a substantial deal with Netflix, which will see them produce new films and TV series for the on-demand platform.

While the figure is yet to be publicly confirmed, it was rumoured that the pair signed for $200 million (£165 million).