Writer, director, and producer Simon Kinberg has spoken to Nerdtropolis about his love for all things in a galaxy far, far away, his new Star Wars trilogy, and bring awestruck by what Tony Gilroy has done with Andor.
“Star Wars was the thing for me when I was a kid. There are pictures of me all through childhood wearing Star Wars T-shirts and sweatshirts,” he said. “When I was in the hospital for pneumonia, I woke up and my parents had left a little Lego Millennium Falcon on my chest to let me know everything was going to be OK. It’s the thing for me, and it always has been.”
Kinberg has been involved with Lucasfilm for years, helping to create and write episodes of Star Wars Rebels and contributing in various capacities to the films. But now, as he develops his own Star Wars trilogy, the experience feels surreal.
“It’s not even a dream come true—I couldn’t have dreamed it,” Kinberg admitted. “Just to be told there’d be more movies would have been unbelievable. To be allowed on the set of any of them was already a dream. My enthusiasm only grows with working on and around it.”
Kinberg also praised the current generation of creators shaping the franchise, citing Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, storyteller Dave Filoni, and Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy as sources of inspiration.
“There’s a ton of wildly talented folks that want to do great work,” Kinberg said. “I was super inspired and just sort of awestruck by what Tony Gilroy did with Andor. I thought that was about as good of science fiction storytelling as you can do in any franchise.”
For Kinberg, stepping into the galaxy far, far away isn’t just another job. It’s the culmination of a lifelong passion for storytelling and a childhood love that has only grown stronger with time.
“I’ve always been enthusiastic about it,” he said. “I always will be.”
