Simon Kinberg has been hugely influential in the post-First Class era of the X-Men cinematic universe, to both greatly successful results (X-Men: Days of Future Past) and sometimes not-so-successful ones (Fantastic Four, X-Men: Apocalypse). The longtime writer and producer was the sole credited screenwriter on both Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, and has been held up as one of the foremost creative forces responsible for shaping the X-Men cinematic universe as fans know it today. When someone has a question about the franchise, it's usually Kinberg that winds up answering it, in some form or another.

Thanks to his prior experience in the universe then, it didn't come as much of a surprise to learn earlier this week that Kinberg was possibly in talks to both write and direct the next film in the X-Men main franchise, titled X-Men: Supernova. Set to begin production sometime this summer, the film is rumored to be Fox's second attempt at adapting the "Dark Phoenix" storyline from the comics and will take place in the 1990s.

There has been no official comments made regarding Kinberg's potential role, but during a recent interview with Fandango's Erik Davis he reportedly said discussions of him directing Supernova are still "premature" and wouldn't confirm nor deny the Dark Phoenix rumors surrounding the film. Although, he did smirk when asked about them:

These responses aren't necessarily surprising. Kinberg is a veteran of the entertainment industry at this point, and he knows not to confirm or announce anything regarding him directing one of the most anticipated comic book movies of the next few years until he and Fox have reached a full agreement about it. So hopefully, with Supernova rumored to begin filming in just a few short months, official news regarding Supernova's director will come sometime soon and fans won't have to be in the dark on the matter for much longer - but there's no way of knowing for sure.

This news comes following a recent surge in Supernova reports and comments, though, after both Sophie Turner and Nicholas Hoult seemed to confirm their involvement in the film earlier this month. Meanwhile, James McAvoy took to social media to tease his involvement in an X-Men related project later this summer as well, which Kinberg will be involved in - that could either be Supernova or Fox's announced New Mutants spin-off.

Kinberg is a credited co-writer on The Last Stand, which is despised heavily because of how badly most fans believe it adapted the Dark Phoenix storyline, so his possible role as both writer and director on Supernova will likely be divisive news. That said, with the positive reception so far to both Deadpool and Logan, the X-Men franchise is being praised for its creativity in ways that it never has been before. All fans can do now is hope that Kinberg will be able to maintain that same momentum and acclaim with Supernova - whether he ends up directing it or not.

Source: Erik Davis

Next: Patrick Stewart Retiring From X-Men Franchise After Logan