Simon Kinberg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kinberg in 2017 | |
| Born | Simon David Kinberg (1973-08-02)August 2, 1973 (age 52) London, England |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Organization | Genre Films |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Cleo Wade (engaged) |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Jud Kinberg |
Simon David Kinberg[1] (born August 2, 1973)[2] is an American filmmaker. He has written and produced a number of films for20th Century Fox, including several films in theX-Men film franchise andThe Martian, which earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Picture. He made hisdirectorial debut with theX-Men filmDark Phoenix (2019), which he also wrote.
Kinberg was born inHammersmith, London, England to American parents Monica Menell-Kinberg andJud Kinberg, a New York City-born writer and producer.[3] From age six, he was raised in Los Angeles, California.[4] He isJewish.[5][6] Kinberg graduated fromBrentwood High School,[2] and then fromBrown University,Phi Beta Kappa,magna cum laude; in 2003 he received his MFA fromColumbia University School of the Arts, where he won the Zaki Gordon Fellowship for Screenwriting.[7]
While still in film school, Kinberg sold a pitch toWarner Bros., then went on to write scripts forDisney,Sony, andDreamWorks, working withSteven Spielberg andJerry Bruckheimer, among others. After finishing school, Kinberg moved to Hollywood, where his first screenwriting credit was a sequel to the hit action filmXXX (2002),XXX: State of the Union (2005). His next screenwriting venture wasMr. & Mrs. Smith, directed byDoug Liman and starringBrad Pitt andAngelina Jolie. The script began as Kinberg's thesis project for film school. Kinberg also wrote the pilot episode for a television adaptation ofMr. & Mrs. Smith forABC. He also has acameo appearance in the movie, as the banker who converses with John Smith at the dinner party.[8]
Kinberg's next screenwriting job was the third movie in the20th Century FoxX-Men film series:X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), which he co-wrote withZak Penn. Comic-book writerChris Claremont, who wrote the Dark Phoenix storyline that served as the primary source material for the film, also wrote the novelization of the film and made Kinberg a character in the book.[citation needed]
Kinberg reunited with directorDoug Liman for the filmJumper (2008). Kinberg wrote and produced the film, which starsSamuel L. Jackson,Hayden Christensen, andDiane Lane. The following year, Kinberg was writer ofSherlock Holmes, directed byGuy Ritchie, starringRobert Downey Jr. andJude Law. In April 2010, his production company, Genre Films, signed a first-look deal with20th Century Fox.[9]
Kinberg was the producer ofX-Men: First Class (2011), and both writer and producer ofThis Means War (2012). He was also co-screenwriter and an executive producer of the filmAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in that same year. In 2013, Kinberg producedElysium.
The following year, Kinberg was the writer and the producer of the filmX-Men: Days of Future Past. That same year, he producedLet's Be Cops. In 2015, Kinberg produced the Neill Blomkamp filmChappie and the live-action version ofCinderella atWalt Disney Pictures. He also worked onFantastic Four as writer and producer. His final film of the year wasThe Martian, directed byRidley Scott.
He wrote and producedX-Men: Apocalypse, the next film in theX-Men franchise followingX-Men: Days of Future Past. Kinberg produced 2016'sDeadpool, 2017'sLogan, 2018'sDeadpool 2, 2019'sDark Phoenix (the latter of which also served as his directorial debut) andThe New Mutants, all of which areX-Men spin-off films. He also producedMurder on the Orient Express, an adaptation of theAgatha Christie novelof the same name.
The Hollywood Reporter initially reported thatLawrence Kasdan, writer ofThe Empire Strikes Back andReturn of the Jedi, and Kinberg would write and produce Episodes VIII and IX of the newStar Wars films.[10] A week later the publication stated that Kasdan and Kinberg would be working on futureStar Wars projects, but not necessarily on Episodes VIII and IX.[11]
In television, he is an executive producer on ABC'sDesignated Survivor starringKiefer Sutherland,Legion created byNoah Hawley forFX, andThe Gifted onFox. He executive produced thethird revival of the science fiction anthology series,The Twilight Zone which premiered in 2019 on CBS All Access (nowParamount+).
In July 2019, it was announced that Kinberg and his production company Genre Films was leaving Fox after 20 years.[12]
On November 7, 2024, it was announced that Kinberg has been hired byLucasfilm to write and co-produce a new trilogy ofStar Wars films along withKathleen Kennedy.[13][14]
Kinberg married Mali Heled in a Jewish ceremony on July 26, 2001.[1] They have two sons.[4] The couple separated in 2014, and subsequently divorced in 2017.[15] By November 4, 2019, Kinberg became engaged to writerCleo Wade.[16] They have two daughters; born in 2020 and 2021.[17]
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | XXX: State of the Union | Yes | No | Lee Tamahori | |
| Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Yes | No | Doug Liman | Role: Investment Banker #1 | |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Yes | No | Brett Ratner | |
| 2008 | Jumper | Yes | Yes | Doug Liman | |
| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | Yes | No | Guy Ritchie | |
| 2011 | X-Men: First Class | No | Yes | Matthew Vaughn | |
| 2012 | This Means War | Yes | Yes | McG | |
| 2013 | Elysium | No | Yes | Neill Blomkamp | |
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Yes | Yes | Bryan Singer | |
| Let's Be Cops | No | Yes | Luke Greenfield | ||
| 2015 | Fantastic Four | Yes | Yes | Josh Trank | |
| Cinderella | No | Yes | Kenneth Branagh | ||
| Chappie | No | Yes | Neill Blomkamp | ||
| The Martian | No | Yes | Ridley Scott | ||
| 2016 | Deadpool | No | Yes | Tim Miller | |
| X-Men: Apocalypse | Yes | Yes | Bryan Singer | ||
| 2017 | Logan | No | Yes | James Mangold | |
| Murder on the Orient Express | No | Yes | Kenneth Branagh | ||
| 2018 | Deadpool 2 | No | Yes | David Leitch | |
| 2019 | Dark Phoenix | Yes | Yes | Himself | Directorial debut |
| 2020 | The New Mutants | No | Yes | Josh Boone | |
| 2022 | The 355 | Yes | Yes | Himself | |
| 2023 | A Haunting in Venice | No | Yes | Kenneth Branagh | |
| 2024 | Lift | No | Yes | F. Gary Gray | |
| 2025 | The Running Man | No | Yes | Edgar Wright | |
| 2026 | Here Comes the Flood | Yes | Yes | Fernando Meirelles | Filming |
Executive producer
Creative consultant
Thanks credit
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive producer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2018 | Star Wars Rebels | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016–2019 | Designated Survivor | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2017–2019 | The Gifted | No | No | Yes | No | Part of theX-Men film franchise |
| Legion | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2019–2020 | The Twilight Zone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Directed "Blurryman" and wrote "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" |
| 2021 | Invasion | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2024 | Sugar | No | No | Yes | No |
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He received a lifetime achievement award from theSaturn Awards in 2016.
He was named #61 on the list of 100 most powerful people in Hollywood byThe Hollywood Reporter in 2016. The same year,The Hollywood Reporter named Kinberg as the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood with a recordUS$16 million for twoX-Men scripts, and named him as one of the highest-paid producers in Hollywood withUS$40 million forDeadpool in their annual Hollywood Salaries issue.
| Year | Category | Award | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | The Martian | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| National Board of Review | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Best Comedy | Deadpool | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel | Dark Phoenix | Nominated |
06/13/2014 Declaration - UCCJEA (- On Behalf of: Petitioner: Kinberg, Mali); Filed by Petitioner. ... 02/22/2017 Abstract - of Judgment (- Issued on 2017-03-09)
