Simon Kinberg Says Wolverine and the X‑Men Are in Great Hands with Kevin Feige
Simon Kinberg — a longtime writer, producer and occasional director on X-Men films — says the X-Men are now under Marvel Studios’ control, and that he’s stepping back while he focuses on other projects. He reminded reporters that the franchise moved to the MCU after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and listed several of his recent and ongoing credits outside the X-Men universe.
- What Kinberg said about the X-Men and Kevin Feige.
- Which X-Men films Kinberg worked on and what he’s doing now.
- His recent credits, including TV and upcoming film work.
Kinberg confirms X-Men are now part of the MCU
Kinberg stated clearly that the X-Men films are now part of Marvel Studios’ domain following the studio purchase: “The X-Men movies are really Kevin Feige’s domain,” he said. He explained that when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the characters became MCU property, and consequently the franchise is not part of his day-to-day work in the same way anymore.
What Kinberg worked on with Fox
Over the past two decades Kinberg wrote or produced many X-Men-era films. In particular, he has writing credits on X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. He also directed the 2019 film commonly referred to as Dark Phoenix, and produced other Fox-Marvel titles such as the 2015 Fantastic Four and the Deadpool films.
He’s optimistic about Marvel’s handling of the characters
Kinberg offered praise for Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and for the future of Wolverine and the X-Men under the MCU. He said, “I say this genuinely — I have nothing to gain from saying this — I think they’re in great hands.” He added that he met Feige early in both of their careers and knows Feige’s passion for the characters.
Kinberg’s current and recent projects
Meanwhile, Kinberg remains busy. He had an executive producer credit on 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and a producer credit on Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man. He is also the showrunner and an executive producer on Apple TV+’s sci-fi series Invasion, which he was promoting during the comments above.
On collaboration and future involvement
Kinberg said he’s available to offer thoughts if Marvel wants them, but that he is not setting expectations: “It’s not at all the same process as it was at Fox,” he told reporters. “I’m at their pleasure if they want me to look at stuff and give thoughts. If they don’t want me, it’s all good.”
He also confirmed work beyond the MCU. For example, Kinberg is listed as a producer on Paramount’s plans to reboot the Star Trek film franchise, though he emphasized he couldn’t share details: “There’s certain things over my career where I’ve gotten in trouble for saying things when I’m not supposed to say things,” he said cryptically.
Other notable points
Additionally, Marvel’s upcoming slate includes a new X-Men film reportedly directed by Jake Schreier and a crossover film, Avengers: Doomsday, which is said to feature actors who appeared in earlier X-Men films. Kinberg did not confirm any involvement with those projects.
