The next Star Wars film will be directed by the creators of Game Of Thrones, Disney’s CEO has said.

David Benioff and DB Weiss, who adapted George RR Martin’s series of fantasy novels for TV, had previously been announced as working on an instalment in the Star Wars franchise.

David Benioff, left, and DB Weiss
David Benioff, left, and DB Weiss will direct the next instalment in the Star Wars franchise (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger has now confirmed it is set for release in December 2022, though declined to give further details at an event in New York.

Disney had previously said Rian Johnson, who directed 2017’s The Last Jedi, was working on a new Star Wars film, but it was unclear whose would come first.

Both are expected to be separate from the Skywalker trilogy of films, of which The Last Jedi is the second instalment.

JJ Abrams’ The Rise Of Skywalker will bring it to a close in December.

Benioff and Weiss have been praised for their stewardship of Game Of Thrones, which has become a global powerhouse and one of the most successful TV shows ever.