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The next ‘Star Wars’ film will be written and produced by ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners

David Benioff, left, and D.B. Weiss will write and produce the next "Star Wars" films.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP)
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Prepare yourselves, “Star Wars” fans: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are coming.

Speaking at a communications summit Tuesday, Disney chief Bob Iger confirmed that the next “Star Wars” films will be written and produced by the “Game of Thrones” showrunners. The first film, which will be separate from the Skywalker saga that began with the original film in 1977, is expected to premiere in 2022.

“The next movie that we release will be theirs,” Iger said. “And we’re not saying anything more about that.”

The comments amount to a confirmation of Weiss and Benioff’s move to a galaxy far, far away, which Disney first announced in early 2018.

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“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,” Weiss and Benioff said in a statement released at the time.

The anger of ‘Game of Thrones’ fans is part of the game »

The showrunners are no strangers to high stakes, having already adapted George R.R. Martin’s revered series of fantasy novels for HBO’s blockbuster drama series “Game of Thrones.”

The series finale airs Sunday, and response as the show builds toward its conclusion has been mixed from critics and fans alike, with a 72% score on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the first season during the series’ run to score below 90% on the site.

The “Star Wars” franchise faces a conclusion of its own with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which promises to be the final episode extended from the original franchise.

The film is scheduled for release Dec. 20.

chris.barton@latimes.com

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