Did ‘Dark Phoenix’ End Simon Kinberg’s Partnership With Fox?

In a surprising turn of events, Deadline broke the news on Tuesday that Simon Kinberg and his production company, Genre Films, would be ending their partnership with 20th Century Fox after nearly 15 years.

Kinberg’s work at Fox began with “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” in 2005, for which he wrote the screenplay. In the years since, Kinberg became a powerful writer and producer at the studio, notably serving as a longtime creative force on Fox’s Marvel properties. Kinberg wrote the script for “X-Men: The Last Stand” in 2006 and went on to produce and occasionally write all of the studios Marvel Comics films. This included the highs like “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and lows like the 2015 “Fantastic Four” reboot, which he penned.

Kinberg's work on Marvel properties culminated with 2019's “Dark Phoenix,” the huge box office and critical bomb which he wrote and made his directorial debut on. Despite the timing, Deadline’s report insists that the failure of this latest “X-Men” film is not to blame for Kinberg’s departure. In fact, he had reportedly been planning an exit from his overall deal at the studio for at least six months, on account of Marvel Studios impending takeover of Fox’s superheroes. Now, Kinberg is working with an unspecified new backer who will allow him to set up projects at any studios he wants.

Kinberg and Genre Films are currently in production on “355,” a female-driven espionage thriller starring Jessica Chastain, which is set up at Universal. He is also expected to remain involved with projects like “Death on the Nile,” “Artemis,” and “Neuromancer” at Fox-Disney.