Simon Kinberg Did Not Write a ‘Boba Fett’ Movie Script; Reflects on Involvement With Lucasfilm
Writer and producer Simon Kinberg was set to write and produce a Star Wars movie about Boba Fett, but he recently revealed it never actually got that far. Kinberg also took a moment to reflect upon his involvement with the Star Wars franchise.
Talking to The Playlist on their podcast The Discourse, Kinberg revealed the Boba Fett spin-off he was set to make alongside Chronicle director Josh Trank didn’t have a finished screenplay, let alone a first draft. Plans for a Boba Fett movie were shelved after Trank exited the project. (It’s been debated on whether he was fired or if he just quit, but Trank claims that he quit) Rumors that James Mangold was helming a Boba Fett movie popped up later, but were recently debunked by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. Boba Fett eventually came back into the spotlight as part of the second season of The Mandalorian, later getting his own spin-off series that debuts December 29.
Beyond Boba Fett, Simon Kinberg said he had been part of the brain trust to help revitalize the Star Wars film franchise after the release of Revenge of the Sith. He became part of the conversation in 2010, a full two years before the ink dried on the paperwork that would sell Lucasfilm to Disney. Kinberg fondly reflected on his time working alongside the likes of Michael Arndt, Lawrence Kasdan, and Dave Filoni before and after the purchase:
“[Working at Lucasfilm was] one of the most amazing experiences of my life, certainly my creative life… Kathleen Kennedy, who’s a hero of mine, hired me… to spend a bunch of time together just brainstorming with George Lucas on future Star Wars movies, and we spent time up at Skywalker Ranch. It was kind of like a writer’s room – we had whiteboards, and me and Larry and Michael and Kathy’s team headed by Kiri Hart, we would just work together in the daytime and at night we would have dinner at the ranch and drink and Larry would tell stories about the original Star Wars movies he worked on and the Raiders movies and, you know, it was like heaven.”
Kinberg’s biggest contribution to Star Wars is Rebels, a series that he and Filoni helped shepherd, and as he notes, one of the last projects that George Lucas pushed for before his semi-retirement. Eventually, he stepped down from his position at Lucasfilm due to his existing commitment to Marvel movies and shows developed at Twentieth Century Fox (now Twentieth Century Studios following Disney’s acquisition). Kinberg is open to returning to Lucasfilm at some point, should the opportunity present itself.
Kinberg’s next effort, The 355, will release in theaters on January 7, 2022. The Book of Boba Fett will debut its first of seven episodes on Disney Plus December 29.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
