BPS 166: Inside X-Men, Deadpool, Logan & The 355 with Oscar Nominee Simon Kinberg

Today on the show we have Oscar and two-time Emmy Nominee Simon
Kinberg. 

He has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most prolific
filmmakers, having written and produced projects for some of the
most successful franchises in the modern era. His films have earned
more than seven billion dollars worldwide.  

Kinberg graduated from Brown University and received his MFA from
Columbia University Film School, where his thesis project was the
original script, “Mr and Mrs Smith.” The film was
released in 2005, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie. 

Upcoming, Kinberg will premiere his action spy film “The 355”,
which will be released theatrically by Universal on January 7,
2022. Directed, co-written and produced by Kinberg, the film was
one of the biggest deals out of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and
stars an ensemble of A-list actresses including Jessica Chastain,
Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and
Fan Bingbing. 

A dream team of formidable female stars come together in a
hard-driving original approach to the globe-trotting espionage
genre in The 355.

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA
agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain)
will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie
(Diane Kruger, In the Fade), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge
computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o), and
skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar winner Penélope
Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also
staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng
(Bingbing Fan, X-Men: Days of Future Past), who is tracking their
every move.

As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to
the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai,
the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could
protect the world—or get them killed. The film also stars Édgar
Ramirez (The Girl on the Train) and Sebastian Stan (Avengers:
Endgame).

The 355 is directed by genre-defying filmmaker Simon Kinberg
(writer-director-producer of Dark Phoenix, producer of Deadpool and
The Martian and writer-producer of the X-Men films). The screenplay
is by Theresa Rebeck (NBC’s Smash, Trouble) and Kinberg, from a
story by Rebeck.

The 355, presented by Universal Pictures in association with
FilmNation Entertainment, is produced by Chastain and Kelly
Carmichael for Chastain’s Freckle Films and by Kinberg for his
Kinberg Genre Films. The film is executive produced by Richard
Hewitt (Bohemian Rhapsody), Esmond Ren (Chinese Zodiac) and Wang
Rui Huan.

His original series “Invasion” premiered on Apple TV+ on October
22nd. He co-created the show with David Weil, serves as Executive
Producer, and wrote or co-wrote 9 of its first 10 episodes. It is
considered one of Apple’s most ambitious series to date as it was
filmed on 4 different continents. The show has already been renewed
for a second season, which Kinberg is show running and Executive
Producing again. He is also the Executive Producer of the upcoming
show “Moonfall” for Amazon. 

Also upcoming, Kinberg produced the sequel to "Murder on the Orient
Express,” “Death on The Nile,” directed by Kenneth Branagh and
starring Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer,
Annette Bening and another all-star cast.

Additionally, he is producing several projects for Netflix
including “Lift” starring Kevin Hart with director F. Gary Gray,
his original script "Here Comes the Flood" with Jason Bateman
directing, "Endurance" with Camille Griffin directing, and
“Pyros” with Reese Witherspoon starring and producing. Kinberg’s
latest spec “Wayland” will also begin production next year for
Lionsgate, with Michael Showalter directing, and Jessica Chastain
producing alongside Kinberg 

Kinberg will also be producing “The Running Man” at Paramount
Pictures to be directed by Edgar Wright, “Artemis” to be directed
by Oscar winners Chris Miller and Phil Lord and based on a book by
the writer of “The Martian”, the remake of “The Dirty Dozen” at
Warner Brothers with David Ayer writing and directing, “Starlight”
at 20th Century Studios to be written and directed by Joe
Cornish, “Death Notification Agency” at Amazon based on the novel
of the same name, “Karma” at Sony Pictures, “Chairman Spaceman” at
Fox Searchlight, to be directed by Oscar Winner Andrew Stanton, and
an Untitled Action-Romance starring Idris Elba at
Apple. 

Following almost a decade’s worth of Marvel films, Kinberg will
also write and produce “Battlestar Galactica” for Universal which
will be his latest franchise universe. 

In 2006, he wrote “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which opened on Memorial
Day to box office records and began his ongoing relationship with
the franchise. In 2008, Kinberg wrote and produced Doug Liman’s
film “Jumper” for 20th Century Fox. In 2009, Kinberg co-wrote the
film “Sherlock Holmes” starring Robert Downey Jr, directed by Guy
Ritchie. The film received a Golden Globe for Best Actor and was
nominated for two Academy Awards. 

In 2010, Kinberg established his production company Genre Films,
with a first look deal at 20th Century Fox. Under this banner, he
produced “X-Men: First Class,” executive produced “Abraham Lincoln:
Vampire Hunter” and wrote and produced “This Means War.” In 2013,
Kinberg produced “Elysium," which starred Matt Damon and Jodie
Foster, directed by Neill Blomkamp. 

On Memorial Day of 2014, Fox released “X-Men: Days of Future Past,"
which Kinberg wrote and produced. The film opened number one at the
box office, received critical acclaim and went on to gross more
than $740 million worldwide. 

In 2015, Kinberg had four films in release. He re-teamed with Neill
Blomkamp to produce “Chappie,” starring Hugh Jackman and Sharlto
Copley. Kinberg produced Disney’s Academy Award-nominated film
“Cinderella," starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Kenneth
Branagh.

In addition, Kinberg was the co-writer and producer of “The
Fantastic Four.” His final film of the year was “The Martian,”
which he produced. The film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring
Matt Damon, grossed more than $630 million worldwide, won two
Golden Globes (including Best Picture) and was nominated for seven
Academy Awards (including Best Picture). 

In 2016, Kinberg produced “Deadpool,” starring Ryan Reynolds. The
film broke international and domestic records for box office,
including becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time
globally. It went on to win two Critics Choice Awards (including
Best Picture - Comedy) and receive two Golden Globe nominations
(including Best Picture), a WGA nomination and a PGA nomination for
Best Picture. That year, Kinberg also wrote and produced “X-Men:
Apocalypse.” 

In 2017, he produced “Logan,” the final installment of the
Wolverine franchise with Hugh Jackman. It was selected as the
closing film of the Berlin Film Festival and opened #1 at the box
office. It was named one of the ten best films of the year from the
National Board of Review, garnered three Critics Choice Nominations
and an Academy Award Nomination.

Kinberg was also a producer on “Murder on the Orient Express,”
directed by Kenneth Branagh, with Branagh starring alongside Johnny
Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, Judi Dench,
and others. 

In 2018, Kinberg produced “Deadpool 2,” which matched the success
of the first film. It was Kinberg’s fourteenth film to open number
one at the box office. 

In 2019, Kinberg made his directorial debut with “X-Men: Dark
Phoenix,” which was released June 7. The film once again starred
Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas
Hoult, Sophie Turner, with new addition Jessica
Chastain. 

In television, he was the executive producer of “Designated
Survivor,” starring Kiefer Sutherland on ABC and Netflix. He was
also the executive producer of “Legion,” “Gifted,” and executive
producer and co-creator with Jordan Peele of the remake of “The
Twilight Zone” on CBS All Access.  

Kinberg has served as a consultant on “Star Wars: Episode VII” and
“Rogue One," and he was the creator and executive producer of the
animated show “Star Wars: Rebels” on Disney networks. 

You can also watch Simon's Screenwriting Masterclass on The
Dialogue Series on Indie Film Hustle TV.

The Dialogue: Learning From the Masters is a groundbreaking
interview series that goes behind the scenes of the fascinating
craft of screenwriting. In these 70-90 minute in-depth discussions,
more than two-dozen of today's most successful screenwriters share
their work habits, methods, and inspirations, secrets of the trade,
business advice, and eye-opening stories from life in the trenches
of the film industry. Each screenwriter discusses his or her
filmography in great detail and breaks down the mechanics of one
favorite scene from their produced work.

Needless to say this is one heck of an episode. Enjoy my
conversation with Simon Kinberg.

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