Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBODavid Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of the Emmy-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, are writing and producing a new series of Star Wars films, Lucasfilm confirmed to E! News Tuesday.
"David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. "Their command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting."
Benioff and Weiss' films will be separate from both the episodic Skywalker saga and the recently announced trilogy that is being developed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson. "In the summer of 1977 we traveled to a galaxy far, far away, and we've been dreaming of it ever since," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement, referencing George Lucas' original film, Star Wars: A New Hope. "We are honored by the opportunity, a little terrified by the responsibility, and so excited to get started as soon as the final season of Game of Thrones is complete."
No release dates have been set for the new films. Perhaps more importantly, the film studio said, "There have (thankfully) been no sightings of White Walkers around Lucasfilm." (Not yet.)
In November 2017, a month before Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters, Lucasfilm announced Johnson would be writing and directing a new trilogy (with Ram Bergman onboard to produce). "We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi. Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it," Bergman and Johnson told E! News. "We can't wait to continue with this new series of films."
J.J. Abrams, who wrote and directed 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will return to oversee the third and final chapter of the current film series, set for release on Dec. 20, 2019. The last season of Benioff and Weiss' Game of Thrones, meanwhile, will air sometime that year.