Watch ended: Benioff and Weiss exit Star Wars trilogy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

When the news broke back in February 2018 that Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff would be heading up a new STAR WARS trilogy, many fans – myself among them – were decidedly thrilled. The idea that the two men who ushered in one of the most successful shows of all-time would be taking their talents from Westeros to a galaxy far, far away was almost too much for my nerd soul to bear. Unfortunately, fans' dreams of a Benioff and Weiss STAR WARS trilogy have now melted like the Iron Throne after Drogon fire belch.

The duo just announced that they are walking away from their deal with Lucasfilm for a post-Skywalker trilogy, which was set to launch in December 2022. Benioff and Weiss' decision had nothing to do with the oft cited "creative differences" however. In this instance it had everything to do with the nine figure deal the pair just signed with Netflix and frankly, time. “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,” the GOT pair said in a statement to Deadline. “So we are regretfully stepping away.”

It's unclear at this time how much of a setback this will be for the proposed STAR WARS trilogy. Benioff and Weiss' project wasn't the only one on the horizon. Director Rian Johnson's separate STAR WARS trilogy is still very much in the works and earlier this year it was reported that Laeta Kalogridis was developing a film based on the "Knights of the Old Republic" video game. Is it possible she could step in now for the showrunners from Westeros? Who knows? Like Luke Skywalker's floating combat ball, things are up in the air.

Kathleen Kennedy did hedge her bets slightly regarding Benioff and Weiss though. The Lucasfilm president indicated the door isn't completely shut on the duo's involvement in future STAR WARS projects: “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.” Regardless, any involvement from Benioff and Weiss in the STAR WARS universe won't be for quite some time.

Despite the departure of Benioff and Weiss, there's still plenty of STAR WARS material to look forward too. RISE OF SKYWALKER hits theaters in less than two months, a brand new trailer for The Mandalorian dropped just last night and is set to debut November 12, there's a Cassian Andor television series on the way, and the Obi-Wan television show starts filming next summer. There's more projects on the horizon than Lando has chips at a sabacc table.

Not going to lie, Benioff and Weiss' departure is a little disheartening. However, I'd rather have them all-in on a STAR WARS project than split their time with their Netflix deal. At least the duo was smart enough to recognize they couldn't do both and decided to walk away.

So what do you guys think of this news? Are you disappointed? Who would you like to see replace Benioff and Weiss? Sound off in the comments below!