Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
The Star Wars universe is about to get a whole lot bigger as Lucasfilm has reportedly confirmed the franchise’s future.
Although few details are known about the upcoming films, reports from Deadline indicate that Lucasfilm struck a deal with Simon Kinberg to develop a new Star Wars trilogy, alongside Kathleen Kennedy. The article, that was published on Thursday, October 7, stated that the three movies are slated as a continuation of the original saga following Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
While specific details remain unconfirmed, insiders told the publication that Kinberg, 51, will start a new saga. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the idea behind the trilogy is to create new characters and a fresh story that does not extend the saga initially conceived by George Lucas in the 1970s.
Kinberg previously collaborated with Lucasfilm as a consultant for J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens in 2015. He is also known for co-creating Star Wars Rebels with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck. Rebels ran for four seasons from 2014 to 2018 and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2017.
The filmmaker is best known for his work on the X-Men film franchise, starting with X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. Kinberg made his directorial debut with Dark Phoenix in 2019 and gained notoriety for producing the first two Deadpool movies and executive producing Deadpool & Wolverine.
Kinberg is reportedly also developing movies for the Star Trek franchise for Paramount and is set to take an active role as producer for the films. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that he will continue his work on Star Trek while fulfilling his duties for Star Wars.