Summary

The key to successful reboots of the X-Men franchise lies in the strength of its characters, according to Simon Kinberg. The X-Men have the richest collection of characters in any comic book ever, which sets them apart from other superhero franchises. Simon Kinberg, who has been involved in various X-Men films and spin-offs, is a fan of Marvel, and eagerly anticipates the new ways in which actors will bring these characters to life.

Simon Kinberg spent the majority of his career dedicated to Marvel Comics’ mutant franchise. Kinberg has been a part of the highly successful X-Men film series ever since he served as a co-writer on X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) with Zak Penn. And Kinberg has a very simple and straightforward bit of advice for those who guide the reboots and reimaginings moving forward. Kinberg said in an exclusive interview with Slash Film:

It’s really about the characters that will get you the best actors.

Kinberg elaborated in the same interview:

“If I had one piece of advice, honestly, it is a very cliché thing, but it just is true: The strength of the ‘X-Men’ is the characters. As much as there’s great storytelling and great plot and incredible action sequences and all of those things are going to be required of the movies, as they are in the comics, what sets, for me, the ‘X-Men’ apart is that they are the richest collection of characters in any comic book ever.”

Kinberg also contributed to the X-Men franchise as the producer, writer and director of the heavily scrutinized Dark Phoenix. The last entry in the X-Men prequel film series featured the younger cast led by James McAvoy’s Professor X and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto. Before the movie ever dropped in cinemas, though, fans were already left to ponder what the creatives behind the scenes were thinking. Worry set in when Mystique’s (Jennifer Lawrence) death was actually given away in the movie’s official trailer, and it was even hinted at in the teaser.

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Simon Kinberg Offers His Two Cents
20th Century Studios

In addition to those films that are explicitly a part of the X-Men franchise, since The Last Stand, Simon Kinberg has had a creative hand in many of the spin-offs, including both Deadpool movies, Logan and The New Mutants. Kinberg even served as one of the writers and producers on the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot. But Kinberg’s passions lie with the X-Men and a certain Caped Crusader from DC Comics. Kinberg said in the same interview:

“Those actors will bring those characters to life in a whole new way that honestly I cannot wait to see. I really am such a fan of what Marvel does, and I’m obviously a massive, massive fan of the ‘X-Men,’ like the ‘Star Wars’ movies. I read two comics when I was growing up religiously. I read others, but the religious ones were for me: ‘Batman’ and ‘X-Men.’”

Kinberg’s time with the X-Men family of films continues, as he serves as a producer on the highly anticipated Deadpool 3, which teams up Ryan Reynolds’ fan-favorite merc with the mouth and Hugh Jackman’s Logan, aka Wolverine. The third installment of the Deadpool franchise will represent Wade Wilson’s first official appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and the same goes for the majority of the mutants who will also show up in Deadpool 3.