David Benioff & D.B. Weiss reportedly left their planned Star Wars trilogy due to creative differences with Lucasfilm. Back in February 2018, it was announced the Game of Thrones showrunners would write and produce a new Star Wars film series separate from the Skywalker saga. During Celebration Chicago this past April, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy even said Benioff & Weiss would collaborate with Rian Johnson (who's developing his own Star Wars trilogy) to plot out a decade's worth of content. But things have since changed.

Earlier this week, it was revealed Benioff & Weiss' Star Wars trilogy was cancelled. At the time, the reasoning given was the pair's busy schedule, attributed to their new deal with Netflix. However, in the days since, more details about the situation have come to light, including Benioff & Weiss wanting to explore the origin of the Jedi in their films. It would appear there's more behind their departure than just a full plate, and they couldn't see eye-to-eye with Lucasfilm on the direction of the franchise.

Related: Star Wars: What Benioff & Weiss' Exit Means for Rian Johnson's Trilogy

According to Variety, Benioff & Weiss and Lucasfilm higher-ups began "to see their visions for the films diverge" over summer meetings. Things had to have fallen apart relatively quickly, since in May Disney CEO Bob Iger said the first Benioff & Weiss Star Wars film would release in December 2022. The duo's deal with Netflix also didn't help matters, as the streaming giant wanted Benioff & Weiss to start making original content as soon as possible so they could compete with the bevy of other streaming platforms on the horizon, like Disney+ (which has its own Star Wars shows) and HBO Max.

The Star Wars franchise has garnered a reputation in Hollywood of cycling through talent in recent years. Directors were often told that they would have a decent amount of creative control if they signed onto a film, only for their ideas to be repeatedly shot down. Directors Colin Trevorrow and Josh Trank had previously been let go by Lucasfilm. Gareth Edwards was replaced by screenwriter Tony Gilory on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to handle massive third-act reshoots, but was still credited as the director. Perhaps the most notorious departure was of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were fired in the middle of production on Solo: A Star Wars Story due to serious creative differences. These departures have led both fans and members of Hollywood to question president Kathleen Kennedy's intentions for the future of Lucasfilm.

Creative differences are common in Hollywood, but most would agree what's happened at Lucasfilm is a bit unusual. Kennedy and company need to identify the problems in their hiring processes so they can avoid this happening again in the future. It's gotten to the point where some believe top directors would be reluctant to work on Star Wars movies because of Lucasfilm's shaky track record, which would be a blow for the franchise. Disney and Lucasfilm want to keep making Star Wars movies for the foreseeable future, so hopefully they get things straightened out behind-the-scenes.

More: Everything That Went Wrong On Disney Star Wars Movies

Source: Variety

Key Release Dates