In a somewhat shocking announcement, it was revealed late last night that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss - fresh off a still-contentious run on HBO's Game of Thrones - have walked away from their forthcoming Star Wars trilogy, which was to begin arriving in 2022. The reason? They've got too much going on, and can't give the project the attention it deserves.

Said the pair, in a statement to Deadline:

“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.

We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us too. 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.”

Adds Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy:

“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.”

So! This was very unexpected! It's also set social media on fire with speculation about the duo's departure: was an overcrowded schedule really to blame here? Is Lucasfilm really keeping the door open for Benioff and Weiss to return, should their schedule free up a bit? Where does this leave the Star Wars franchise as a whole? We can only speculate on the first two questions, but as for the latter: in addition to December's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and next month's The Mandalorian (headed to Disney+), they've also got an Obi-Wan Kenobi series in the works, along with another new set of Star Wars films written and directed by Rian Johnson. Beyond that? We'll have to wait and see.

What do you make of all this? Are you buying the official explanation? Think there's more going on here? Think maybe it's not the worst thing in the world if Lucasfilm slows down on its Star Wars output? Sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned for more on this situation as it develops.

(Note: Header photo by Suzi Pratt, used with permission via Flickr)