‘X-Men’ producer Simon Kinberg tapped to write and produce new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy

Simon Kinberg, the prominent producer, writer, and director best known for his work on the “X-Men” franchise, has signed a deal to develop a new trilogy of “Star Wars” films that he will write and produce, Deadline reports. Kinberg will produce with Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy. 

Deadline reports that the film will be a continuation of the “Skywalker Saga,” but adds that insiders dispute this, saying that it will be a new saga. (Several other trade reports also suggested this will be its own standalone trilogy.)

Kinberg has prior experience working in a galaxy far, far away; he co-created the popular 2014-2018 animated series “Star Wars Rebels” with Dave Filoni (now Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm) and Carrie Beck, and was a creative consultant on the franchise-reviving “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Kinberg also earned an Academy Award nomination for producing “The Martian,” produced “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2,” and “Logan,” rebooted “The Twilight Zone,” and wrote and directed the spy thriller “The 355.”

Kinberg’s project joins a development slate that includes projects from James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, and Donald Glover. 

As a film franchise, “Star Wars” has struggled in recent years. There has not been a “Star Wars” film since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, and a large number of writers and directors have developed projects that didn’t pan out, including but not limited to Guillermo del Toro, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Patty Jenkins, Kevin Feige, and Damon Lindelof. “Star Wars” remains a prolific television franchise, however, and the next movie to get a theatrical release will be “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a feature spinoff of the series “The Mandalorian,” which is slated for 2026.