Why Lucasfilm Entrusted Simon Kinberg to Pilot the Next ‘Star Wars’ Movies
variety.comAdam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer When news broke on Thursday that Simon Kinberg — best known for being a writer, producer, director or all of the above on much of the “X-Men” franchise — had been hired by Lucasfilm to write and produce a new “Star Wars” trilogy, it came as a surprise to many executives at Lucasfilm and Disney.
The project is considered internally to be in deep development and not nearly ready to be made public. There was also some surprise within the wider industry that Lucasfilm had turned to Kinberg as the newest steward of “Star Wars” on the big screen.
According to multiple industry sources with experience working in the franchise space, Kinberg is seen on one level as a sensible and safe choice.
Starting with 2005’s “XXX: State of the Union” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” his films as a screenwriter have grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide.
Read more on variety.com
