Following the announcement yesterday that 20th Century Fox will be following up next summer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past with a sequel called X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that screenwriter Simon Kinberg has inked a three-year deal with the studio to help them create a “Marvel style” universe for both their “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” films.
“I have a lot of ideas on how to build those brands and do what everybody is thinking of these days: Be like Marvel,” Kinberg said. “I want to be able to build stories over multiple movies.”
Kinberg wrote the screenplay and produced the upcoming “Days of Future Past,” and is also heavily involved in getting Josh Trank’s The Fantastic Four off the ground as both a writer and producer. In addition to making a cohesive universe for their Marvel-based films, Kinberg will be working on original properties and lesser known adaptations for the studio.
This news calls into question the role for Mark Millar at the studio, since he was hired back in September of 2012 as a “Creative Consultant” on all of their Marvel comics properties. It remains to be seen if Millar is no longer functioning in that role at the studio, but check back here for more details as we learn them.
Update: Mark Millar has clarified on Twitter that he’s still working for Fox, saying: “Don’t worry. Simon RE-UPPED his deal. We’ve all been working together for the past 15 months”
20th Century Fox’s next Marvel based film is X-Men: Days of Future Past, which hits theaters on May 23, 2014, followed by The Fantastic Four on June 19, 2015. The studio also has another solo “Wolverine” film in development with both James Mangold and Hugh Jackman set to return as well as an adaptation of “X-Force” from Kick-Ass 2‘s Jeff Wadlow.
What do you want to see Kinberg do with Fox’s Marvel properties? Sound off below!
(Photo credit: Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)
