Adam Driver’s ‘Star Wars’ Film Gets New Update From ‘Disappointed’ Director

Director Steven Soderbergh is finally breaking his silence on “The Hunt for Ben Solo.” The project was officially announced by Adam Driver last year. The “Star Wars” actor revealed that he and Soderbergh had worked on the project for about two years before it was scrapped by top Disney execs, who didn’t understand how his character, Ben Solo, could still be alive after the events of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”

The sequel trilogy kicked off with 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” in which Adam Driver played the villainous Kylo Ren. He continued the role in 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” but was eventually redeemed in 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” Unfortunately, he gave his life force to Rey (Daisy Ridley) after defeating Emperor Palpatine in order to bring her back to life, and seemingly faded into the Force himself.

Although Lucasfilm approved the idea, Disney executives later pulled the plug, saying they didn’t understand how Ben Solo could still be alive. In a new interview with BK Mag, the Oscar-winning filmmaker said, “It was no surprise” to hear that former Lucasfilm exec Kathleen Kennedy was frustrated by the film’s cancellation during her exit interview.

“We were all frustrated,” Soderbergh said. “You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and [writer] Rebecca Blunt. When Adam and I discussed him talking about it publicly, I said, ‘Look, do not editorialize or speculate about the why. Just say what happened, because all we know is what happened.’ The stated reason was, ‘We don’t think Ben Solo could be alive.’ And that was all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do about it, you know, except move on.”

“I’d kind of made the movie in my head, and just felt bad that nobody else was going to get to see it,” he continued. “I thought the conversation was strictly going to be a practical one—where they go, what is this going to cost? And I had a really good answer for that. But it never even got to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”

In October 2025, fans were shocked to hear Adam Driver reveal that the movie had been in the works when he was promoting his latest film, “Father Mother Sister Brother,” in an interview with the Associated Press.

“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” Driver said. “I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. 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.”

Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt outlined a story that was pitched to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. Scott Z. Burns was brought in to write the script, which Driver called “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”

“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver says. “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.”

“It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo,’ and it was really cool,” he added. “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.” Although he didn’t reveal much of the film’s plot, he did emphasize that it was going to be a character-driven film along the lines of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

“We wanted to be judicial about how to spend money and be economical with it, and do it for less than most but in the same spirit of what those movies are, which is handmade and character-driven,” Driver says. “‘Empire Strikes Back’ being, in my opinion, the standard of what those movies were. But he is, to me, one of my favorite directors of all time. He lives his code, lives his ethics, doesn’t compromise.”

At the time, Soderbergh released his own statement, saying, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”

Following a fan campaign that involved getting a plane to fly a banner reading “Save ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’” over Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, Daisy Ridley was asked to weigh in with her thoughts on the cancelled film.

“I knew a piece of it. I heard rumblings,” Ridley told IGN last December. “I have lots of friends who are crew, so things always travel like that. But, whoa! When the story came out, no, I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ And it was him that said it, right? It was funny because, like, ‘Oh, wow, Adam is saying it,’ and that’s the big surprise of the year.”

“I do love when there is a collective of positivity,” Ridley added, “The way the internet seems to have rallied to try and get it to happen. It’s fantastic for us all. It’s good for us to all be united about something in a really positive way. Obviously, everyone knows he was a very popular character, but it was also lovely to think, ‘Wow, people really, really care and want this.’ I just… I like it.”

Although “The Hunt for Ben Solo” may never make it to the silver screen, “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will be released in theaters on May 22, 2026, making it the first “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”