“Rebels” Co-Creator, “X-Men” Franchise Writer/Producer Simon Kinberg Developing New Star Wars Trilogy for Lucasfilm

Kinberg is also known for producing "The Martian," "Logan," and 2015's "Fantastic Four."

Some very surprising news coming out of Lucasfilm this morning, as Deadline has exclusively reported that Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg has been tapped to develop a new trilogy of theatrical Star Wars films.

What’s happening:

  • Deadline has reported in an exclusive story that filmmaker Simon Kinberg has reached a deal with Lucasfilm to develop a new trilogy of Star Wars films, for which he will serve as both writer and producer.
  • Kinberg is credited as co-creator of the popular animated series Star Wars Rebels alongside Lucasfilm’s current Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and Vice President of Development Carrie Beck.
  • Notably, Simon Kinberg was attached to write the screenplay for the abandoned Boba Fett stand-alone film set to be directed by Josh Trank back in 2018. According to Deadline, he also served as a consultant on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
  • He’s also known for his work producing the films The Martian, Logan, and 2015’s Fantastic Four, and he either wrote or co-wrote a number of X-Men movies such as The Last Stand, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix (the latter of which he directed).

What they’re saying:

  • Deadline: “I heard this will comprise episodes 10-12 of The Skywalker Saga that began with George Lucas’s 1977 first film that along with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws reshaped the global blockbuster game. Insiders disputed my intel that Kinberg will continue that storyline, saying this will instead begin a new saga and sits alongside Star Wars percolating projects with James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, and Donald Glover. As usual, Lucasfilm and Disney are not commenting.”

For future updates on this and other Lucasfilm projects, be sure to check back right here at LaughingPlace.com.

Mike Celestino
Mike serves as Laughing Place's lead Southern California reporter, Editorial Director for Star Wars content, and host of the weekly "Who's the Bossk?" Star Wars podcast. He's been fascinated by Disney theme parks and storytelling in general all his life and resides in Burbank, California with his beloved wife and cats.