Simon Kinberg
Simon David Kinberg arrived in Hammersmith, London, on the 2nd of August 1973. His parents were American citizens who moved him to Los Angeles when he was six years old. He grew up Jewish and attended Brentwood High School before entering Brown University. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa with magna cum laude honors marked his academic success at that institution. In 2003, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University School of the Arts. There, he secured the Zaki Gordon Fellowship for Screenwriting during his studies.
While still enrolled in film school, Kinberg sold a pitch directly to Warner Bros. studios. He subsequently wrote scripts for Disney, Sony, and DreamWorks while working alongside Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer. His first professional screenwriting credit appeared in XXX: State of the Union released in 2005. The script for Mr. & Mrs. Smith began as his thesis project for film school. That movie starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie under director Doug Liman. Kinberg also wrote a pilot episode for a television adaptation intended for ABC. He even made a cameo appearance in the final film as an investment banker named John Smith.
Kinberg co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006 with Zak Penn. Comic-book writer Chris Claremont used Kinberg as a character within the novelization of that same film. He produced X-Men: First Class in 2011 before writing and producing This Means War the following year. In April 2010, his production company Genre Films signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox. He served as both writer and producer on X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. Kinberg then wrote and produced X-Men: Apocalypse as the next entry in the series. He produced spin-off films including Deadpool in 2016 and Logan in 2017. His work extended to The New Mutants which arrived in 2020.
The 2019 release of Dark Phoenix marked Kinberg's directorial debut. He had also written the screenplay for this specific film. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews compared to his previous producing successes. The film received a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel in 2019. Despite the critical response, he continued to produce other projects like Murder on the Orient Express. This period highlighted the difference between his success as a producer versus his new role as a director.
The Hollywood Reporter initially stated that Lawrence Kasdan and Kinberg would write Episodes VIII and IX of the Star Wars saga. A week later, reports clarified they would work on future projects without guaranteeing those specific episodes. In July 2019, Kinberg announced his production company Genre Films was leaving Fox after twenty years. On the 7th of November 2024, Lucasfilm hired him to write and co-produce a new trilogy of films. Kathleen Kennedy joined him as a co-producer for this massive undertaking. His creative consultant credits included Star Wars: The Force Awakens released in 2015.
Kinberg served as an executive producer on ABC's Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland. He created Legion for FX which ran from 2016 to 2019. The series The Gifted aired on Fox starting in 2017. He executive produced the third revival of The Twilight Zone which premiered in 2019 on CBS All Access. During that run, he directed the episode Blurryman and wrote Nightmare at 30,000 Feet. His television portfolio also includes Invasion which began in 2021. These projects demonstrated his ability to manage genre-based storytelling across multiple networks.
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Common questions
When and where was Simon Kinberg born?
Simon David Kinberg arrived in Hammersmith, London, on the 2nd of August 1973. His parents were American citizens who moved him to Los Angeles when he was six years old.
What education did Simon Kinberg receive before becoming a screenwriter?
Simon Kinberg graduated Phi Beta Kappa with magna cum laude honors from Brown University. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2003.
Which films did Simon Kinberg write or produce during his X-Men tenure?
Simon Kinberg co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006 and produced X-Men: First Class in 2011. He wrote and produced X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014 and X-Men: Apocalypse as the next entry in the series.
Did Simon Kinberg direct any movies after producing them?
The 2019 release of Dark Phoenix marked Simon Kinberg's directorial debut. He had also written the screenplay for this specific film which received mixed reviews compared to his previous producing successes.
When did Lucasfilm hire Simon Kinberg to work on Star Wars projects?
On the 7th of November 2024, Lucasfilm hired him to write and co-produce a new trilogy of films. Kathleen Kennedy joined him as a co-producer for this massive undertaking.