And ultimately, he respectfully declined to even read the script because of one character’s inclusion: Wolverine.
Kinberg was thinking of his own version of reviving Wolverine in the X-Men universe, and a conflicting vision set to the tune of $90 million wouldn’t have helped things along at all.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s discussion with John Ottman laid out, Dark Phoenix writer/director Simon Kinberg would have had to approve this film for the final go-ahead, as he was the current mastermind in charge of the X-Men property.