Simon Kinberg is heading into hyperspace, signing an expansive deal to write and produce a Star Wars feature trilogy.
Kinberg would spearhead the launching of a new saga in the beloved galaxy far, far away, and will write the scripts for what Lucasfilm hopes would chart a brand new path forward for the sci-fi space opera universe.
Lucasfilm topper Kathleen Kennedy will also produce the new trilogy.
The new story is not meant to be a continuation of the Skywalker Saga, the name of the overall arc of the popular and pop culture-dominating Star Wars movies known as Episodes 1 through 9. The intent here is to have brand new characters and a new story, and not have it be a continuation, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. (Although that does not mean that some characters could not or would not pop up.)
Kinberg already has strong Star Wars ties. He co-created the animated series Star Wars: Rebels with Dave Filoni as well as Carrie Beck. The Emmy-nominated ran for four seasons, from 2014-18.
He also helped out on the relaunch of Star Wars after Disney bought Lucasfilm, acting as a consultant on 2015’s The Force Awakens.
Kinberg is an established presence in the genre space. He had a hand in the Fox X-Men movies, being one of the producers of Logan and the first two Deadpool movies, among many other creative duties. And he is about to go into production on Edgar Wright’s take on Stephen King tale The Running Man for Paramount.
The writer-producer is one of the busiest creatives in town, and is he’s helping to develop the rival Star Trek franchise for Paramount, a deal he stepped into this past spring. He was due to take on an active producing role on the franchise’s film side. Sources say he will maintain those duties, keeping one hand on a lightsaber and the other on a phaser.
Lucasfilm has tried to chart different paths forward before. Kennedy previously signed filmmaker Rian Johnson (Knives Out) to develop a trilogy, as well as Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. None of those came close to fruition, with the company facing occasional scrutiny over the years.
Lucasfilm next launches TV series Skeleton Crew, which debuts on Disney+ on Dec. 3.
