Simon Kinberg

**Simon David Kinberg** is a British-born American screenwriter, producer and director. He is best known for his work on the *X-Men* film franchise, and has also written such films as *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* and *Sherlock Holmes*. He has served as a producer on *Cinderella* and *The Martian*, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Kinberg has taken a large role in the *X-Men* film universe acting as one of the consistent members of the franchise's creative team, serving as producer and screenwriter for multiple installments. Kinberg will make his directorial debut with *X-Men: Dark Phoenix* (2018), from his own screenplay.

## Genre Films/ Kinberg Genre

**Genre Films**, usually credited as **Kinberg Genre**, is the production company founded by screenwriter-producer-director Simon Kinberg. Genre Films in April 2010 signed a first look deal with 20th Century Fox, which gave Fox "direct access" to ideas by Kinberg. Aditya Sood became president of production, and Josh Feldman became director of development.

### Films and Shows They Have Worked On:

* *Elysium* (2013)
* *Let's Be Cops* (2014)
* *Cinderella* (2015)
* *Chappie* (2015)
* *Fantastic 4* (2015) [Fant4stic]
* *The Martian* (2015)
* *Deadpool* (2016)
* *X-Men: Apocalypse* (2016)
* *Logan* (2017)
* *Murder on the Orient Express* (2017)
* *Deadpool 2* (2018)
* *The New Mutants* (2018)
* *X-Men: Dark Phoenix* (2018)
* *Gambit* (2019)

* *Designated Survivor* (2016–present)
* *Legion* (2017–present)
* *The Gifted* (2017–present)

## Career

While still in film school, Kinberg sold a pitch to Warner Brothers, then went on to write scripts for Disney, Sony, and DreamWorks, working with Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer, among others. After finishing school, Kinberg moved to Hollywood, where his first screenwriting credit was a sequel to the hit action film *XXX*(2002), *XXX: State of the Union* (2005). His next screenwriting venture was the screenplay for *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*, directed by Doug Liman and starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The script began as Kinberg's thesis project for film school. Kinberg also wrote the pilot episode for a television adaptation of *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* for ABC TV. He appears in the movie, in a scene with Brad Pitt.

Kinberg's next screenwriting job was the sequel to *X-Men* (2000) and *X2* (2003), *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), which he co-wrote with Zak Penn. Comic-book writer Chris Claremont wrote the novelization of the film, and made Kinberg a character in the book.

Kinberg reunited with director Doug Liman for the film *Jumper* (2008). Kinberg wrote and produced the movie, which stars Samuel L. Jackson, Hayden Christensen, and Diane Lane. The following year, Kinberg was writer of *Sherlock Holmes*, directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. In April 2010, his production company, Genre Films, signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox.

Kinberg was the producer of *X-Men: First Class* (2011), and both writer and producer of *This Means War* (2012). He was also co-screenwriter and an executive producer of the film *Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter* in that same year. In 2013, Kinberg produced *Elysium*.

The following year, Kinberg was the writer and the producer of the film *X-Men: Days of Future Past*. That same year, he produced *Let's Be Cops*. In 2015, Kinberg produced the Neill Blomkamp film *Chappie* and the live-action version of *Cinderella* at Disney. He also worked on *Fantastic Four [FANT4STIC]* as writer and producer. His final film of the year was *The Martian*, directed by Ridley Scott.

He wrote and produced *X-Men: Apocalypse*, the next film in the *X-Men* franchise following *X-Men: Days of Future Past*. Kinberg produced *Deadpool* (2016), *Logan* (2017), and will produce the upcoming *New Mutants* (2018), *Deadpool 2* (2018), and *Gambit*, all of them *X-Men* spin-off films. He is also producing *Murder on the Orient Express*, an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel.

*The Hollywood Reporter* initially reported that Lawrence Kasdan, writer of *The Empire Strikes Back* and *Return of the Jedi*, and Kinberg would write and produce Episodes VIII and IX of the new *Star Wars* films. A week later the publication stated that Kasdan and Kinberg would be working on future *Star Wars* projects, but not necessarily on Episodes VIII and IX.

In television, he is an executive producer on ABC network's *Designated Survivor* starring Kiefer Sutherland, and on *Legion* created by Noah Hawley for FX, and *Gifted*on Fox Network.