'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Director Reportedly Writing New Star Wars Film

Despite the potential end of the Skywalker Saga in next year's Star Wars: Episode IX, the [...]

By Joe Schmidt

Despite the potential end of the Skywalker Saga in next year's Star Wars: Episode IX, the franchise is far from running out of gas.

Deadline reports that X-Men: Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg is currently writing a script for a Star Wars film. This is in addition to the trilogy in the works from The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson, as well as the series of films from Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff.

Kinberg is the executive producer of Star Wars Rebels, in addition to his duties shepherding the X-Men franchise for 20th Century Fox. But the animated series is not his only involvement with the galaxy far, far away.

Kinberg was previously set to produce the Boba Fett spinoff film with director Josh Trank. Those two worked together on the underperforming Fantastic Four reboot with Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara, which had a tumultuous production that spawned numerous rumors about Trank's antics.

Stories of on-set clashes could have resulted in Trank's removal from the Boba Fett movie, and industry pundits speculate that Kinberg could have had something to do with the departure after the drama surrounding Fantastic Four.

It remains to be seen if Kinberg is still working on the Boba Fett movie, which has been rumored to be in development since before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in theaters. This script could be another project entirely.

Kinberg most recently wrote X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which will also mark his directorial debut. The fourth film in the rebooted mutant franchise premieres in theaters this November. He previously wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse.

News of Kinberg's current Star Wars project came at the tail end of a report that he was set to direct a remake of Logan's Run. Apparently Warner Bros. just closed the deal, confident that he could handle the updated take on the dystopian sci-fi film with Hunger Games writer Peter Craig. It's likely to be Kinberg's second directorial effort.

While we knew Kinberg was involved with a potential Star Wars movie in some fashion, Deadline makes it clear that he is working on that script right now, as well as the post-production of X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Perhaps Lucasfilm will make an announcement on the project at this year's D23 Expo or next year's Star Wars Celebration.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix premieres in theaters on November 2nd.

Trending Now: