Adam Driver has revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh spent two years developing a “Star Wars” film titled “The Hunt for Ben Solo” — a project that would have followed Driver’s Kylo Ren after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.”
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Driver said he began discussions about returning to “Star Wars” in 2021, when Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy “reached out.” The idea became a collaboration with Soderbergh, resulting in a completed script that explored Ben Solo’s search for redemption.
“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” Driver said. “I always said: with a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”
According to Driver, Lucasfilm responded positively to the concept, bringing in Scott Z. Burns to write the script. “They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” he said. “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
Driver explained that because Disney had officially declined the film, he was now able to discuss it publicly. He played Ben Solo (also known as the villain Kylo Ren), son of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and grandson of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader across all three films of the sequel trilogy, concluding with 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Soderbergh confirmed details about the rejection on his BlueSky account. “In the aftermath of the HFBS situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if [Lucasfilm Ltd.] had ever turned in a finished movie script for greenlight to Disney and had it rejected,” he wrote. “She said no, this was a first.”
SOMEONE FLEW A BANNER PLANE OVER DISNEY STUDIOS LMAOOO #TheHuntForBenSolo ✈️ ICONIC pic.twitter.com/Ot5aT59xyt
— taylor 🕸️ (@empressrey) October 23, 2025
The news quickly sparked reaction among “Star Wars” fans, some of whom launched a campaign urging Disney to reconsider. On Friday, Collider reported that fans paid for a plane to fly a banner reading “Save ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’” over Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Shortly after, a billboard appeared in New York City’s Times Square at 1500 Broadway, between 43rd and 44th, reading: “For Adam. No one’s ever really gone. Hope lives. Ben is alive! #THBS.” “If they could bring back Palpatine with one line,” a fan told Collider, “there are plenty of ways Ben could return that already fit into Star Wars lore.”
In a separate comment to the Associated Press, Soderbergh added, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
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