“X-Men” alum Simon Kinberg is preparing to visit a galaxy far, far away.
Lucasfilm is developing a new “Star Wars” trilogy with Kinberg set to write and produce the three films with studio chief Kathleen Kennedy. This will begin a new series with new characters after “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac, concluded the original nine-chapter “Skywalker Saga” in 2019. Though plot details haven’t been revealed, Lucasfilm has disputed the notion, first suggested by Deadline in their initial report of the forthcoming trilogy, that Kinberg’s movies will continue the story that George Lucas began with 1977’s “A New Hope,” introducing Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
Disney currently has Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a continuation of the Disney+ series about the helmet-wearing bounty hunter (played by Pedro Pascal), on the calendar for May 22, 2026, along with two untitled “Star Wars” movies set for Dec. 18, 2026, and Dec. 17, 2027.
Lucasfilm has several other “Star Wars” projects in the works — from filmmakers such as James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi and Donald Glover — but it’s ambiguous which of these will be the first to hit the big screen. New installments in the space opera series, from director Patty Jenkins, Marvel producer Kevin Feige, “The Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson and “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, were announced over the years but never came to fruition.
In the five years since “Rise of Skywalker,” the latest “Star Wars” theatrical release, Lucasfilm has launched the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” as well as two more live-action TV shows in the “Mando”-verse, “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka,” plus the upcoming “Skeleton Crew.” There were also standalone series, including “The Acolyte,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Andor.”
Kinberg is best known for writing and producing a number of “X-Men” films for 20th Century Fox, including 2006’s “The Last Stand,” 2011’s “First Class,” 2014’s “Days of Future Past,” 2016’s “Deadpool” and 2017’s “Logan,” before making his directorial debut with 2019’s spinoff “Dark Phoenix.” He’s worked with Lucasfilm on the Disney Channel animated series “Star Wars: Rebels,” which he co-created with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck, and he consulted with director J.J. Abrams on 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Sources stress that Kinberg’s trilogy remains in early development, and it’s unclear when it’ll go into production. The filmmaker is serving as a producer on Paramount and Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” remake, which recently went into production with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin. He’s also attached as a producer on Paramount’s next “Star Trek” movie from director Toby Haynes.
From Variety US