The journalist does not specify which filmmaker would have landed the job, but adds that production is accelerating very rapidly and that filming could start as early as next year. For now, neither Lucasfilm nor the main trade media have confirmed that the films had moved beyond the development stage, let alone that a director had actually been hired.
Simon Kinberg to write the future Star Wars trilogy, but not to direct it
Simon Kinberg is best known for having worked on the screenplays of films such as Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Doug Liman's Jumper, Josh Trank's Fantastic Four in 2015, as well as several installments of the X-Men saga. He also helped create Star Wars Rebels.
Kinberg is also a prolific producer, notably on Logan, Deadpool and The Martian. Among his recent works are Apple TV's Sugar series and Edgar Wright's The Running Man. Suffice it to say that, in terms of quality, the contrast is striking: Sugar is a small gem of daring writing, while the remake of The Running Man looks more like a compilation of everything that should not have been done.
A trilogy that will take place after the events of the Skywalker saga
So we can only hope that this new trilogy finally brings something to the table and breathes new life into a franchise that, in terms of renewal and boldness, sometimes seems to be going in circles. With Kinberg, let’s say the odds seem fairly evenly split.
This new trilogy is expected to take place after the events of the Skywalker saga. The same will also be true of the next film intended for theaters, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which is set for release in May.
