David Benioff and DB Weiss, the co-creators of HBO behemoth fantasy series Game of Thrones, have left their roles on the new Star Wars trilogy citing their decision to sign an exclusive deal with Netflix.

“There are only so many hours in the day, we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects,” a statement given to Deadline read. “So we are regretfully stepping away.”

Benioff and Weiss signed a $200 million multi-year deal with Netflix in August that will see them create exclusive content for the streaming platform.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said that they would be welcomed back in the future. “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.”

According to Disney’s release schedule, the next films are scheduled for 2022, 2024 and 2026 releases, and are set to usher in a new era for the epic sci-fi franchise. There is no word on how the planned trilogy with now progress, but there is still plenty of new Star Wars content in the pipeline. Original series The Mandalorian will debut on Disney+ when the service goes live next month, while The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is currently working on his own trilogy. Additionally Ewan McGregor is reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a future Disney+ series and, of course, Star Wars Episode IX hits cinemas this Christmas.

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