Game of Thrones creators back out of Star Wars trilogy

Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have confirmed their exit from a planned Star Wars trilogy. The news comes after earlier this year it was reported the pair, who created and executive produced the popular fantasy drama television series, would join the Star Wars family for the franchise's next release.

The duo allegedly signed a massive deal with Disney-owned Lucasfilms back in February to produce a new trilogy of movies, which would be expected to hit screens in 2022.

'We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us too," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement to Deadline. '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.'

They then continued, '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.'

Though the duo are walking out for the time being, the door isn't necessarily closed on further projects. President of Lucasfilms Kathleen Kennedy said, '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.'