Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who had signed on to pen and produce an upcoming trilogy of Star Wars films that would follow up after Rise of Skywalker, have just shockingly dropped the project from their slate.

They have cited their reason for leaving as a busy schedule, as they have some upcoming Netflix projects also slated for the next few years after signing a massive deal with the streaming site.

The duo made the following statement about their difficult decision in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 

“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.”

This Star Wars film was slated for release in December of 2022, on track with the release schedule of this most recent trilogy. It is not clear if this will cause a delay, but possibly a rearranging of schedule as Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, and J.J. Abrams are both working on other Star Wars related content for the big screen.

Kevin Feige of Marvel also is said to have a hand in some Star Wars content, so some announces are likely forthcoming regarding what will be next on the lineup for the iconic series.