Simon Kinberg is a busy man these days. Over the weekend X-Men: Days of Future Past-which he wrote and produced-had a $91 million opening and he’s working on the sequel film X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, scheduled for a 2016 release. That will be Kinberg’s fourth producer credit on an X-Men film, and third as a writer, and he has already discussed some ideas for the next film’s direction publicly.
Being that involved with a blockbuster franchise like the X-Men would be enough for most people, but it’s just the start for Kinberg. After rumors surrounding his involvement in the new Star Wars films appeared, he has officially taken a role in the franchise, serving as writer and executive producer for this fall’s Star Wars Rebels television series. Continuing his relationship with Disney (who recently bought the rights to Star Wars), Kinberg is producing a live-action version of Cinderella for the Mouse that will hit theaters in 2015.
On top of all of that, he is one of the men tasked with reviving the moribund big screen presence of the Fantastic Four.
Image credit: Gambling.com
The reboot, still untitled, began filming in Louisiana on May 5, with a scheduled release date of June 15, 2015. The previous incarnations of the iconic team on the silver screen are regarded as pretty awful affairs, something Kinberg knows is working against him. Early word on the project and the producer’s efforts to distance themselves from their predecessors has been encouraging, as the casting of African-American actor Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm as well as word that the film will be based on the Ultimate Fantastic Four series of comics indicate major efforts to differentiate the new franchise, which already has a sequel for 2017 scheduled.
Between Star Wars, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, Kinberg is juggling a lot of high-profile franchises (and teasing the possibility of a superhero crossover in the future), and questioning whether he is spreading himself too thin may be a valid concern. At the same time, his work on the last two X-Men films has been top-notch and his passion and knowledge for his other projects is evident, which is always an encouraging sign.
Whether the results are good or bad is unknown, but either way it is certain that Simon Kinberg’s influence will be felt for years to come.
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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