Simon Kinberg Hints His ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Will Channel Fan-Favorite Franchise Installments

Simon Kinberg, the showrunner behind the sci-fi series Invasion, has opened up about his vision for the new Star Wars trilogy in an interview with ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns.

Kinberg, who was brought on in November 2024 to write and produce the trilogy, said he wants the films to balance big, epic sci-fi storytelling with intimate character moments.

“I will say that I’ve learned so many things from working on Invasion, or honed a lot of things working on Invasion. And I think that the thing I carry with me from Invasion into anything that I do, Star Wars included, would be finding a balance between big, epic science fiction storytelling with really intimate, dramatic character work,” Kinberg explained.

While Kinberg didn’t reveal details about the trilogy’s story, noting it remains “as top secret as top secret stuff gets,” he did share which Star Wars films and shows have influenced his approach.

He cited The Empire Strikes Back as his favorite Star Wars movie because of its mix of epic scale and personal stakes. He also mentioned the Disney+ series Andor, praising how it balanced emotional, intimate storytelling with larger political and sci-fi themes.

“My favorite of the Star Wars movies is Empire Strikes Back, and it’s because the balance between the epic and the intimate is so strong in that they’re such personal stories. The stakes are really personal, and yet, obviously, there’s all kinds of great science fiction. I think Andor did an extraordinary job of that, as well. It was such an emotional, intense, personal show that also had, obviously, massive stakes to it, and politics, and all of that,” Kinberg said.

Kinberg’s comments hint that his upcoming trilogy will aim to capture the emotional depth of character-driven storytelling while keeping the grand, epic feeling that Star Wars fans love.

It will be exciting to see how Kinberg’s trilogy blends these influences. Do you think balancing epic sci-fi with intimate character drama is the right direction for Star Wars? Share your thoughts in the comments.