Discover the untold story behind Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh’s canceled Star Wars movie, The Hunt for Ben Solo — the bold sequel idea Disney rejected that could have changed the galaxy far, far away.
In Star Wars, we believed that Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, had died. But “somehow” he nearly returned. Adam Driver says in a recent interview that he enlisted none other than Steven Soderbergh to direct a film that would have followed the character following The Rise of Skywalker. Still, high-ranking Disney executives ultimately snubbed the proposal.
“It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and it was really cool.” Driver told the Associated Press. “But now that it’s gone, I can finally discuss it.”
Apparently, he’d been talking about it since 2021 with Kathleen Kennedy if “a great director and a great story” was offered, saying, “I loved that character and loved playing him.” So, Driver talked to his Logan Lucky collaborator, the Oscar-winning Soderbergh, who outlined a story with writer Rebecca Blunt, which was pitched to Lucasfilm executives.
Appreciating the concept, they enlisted Scott Z. Burns, a regular collaborator of Soderbergh, to develop a screenplay. It was “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of,” according to Driver.
Legendary director, cool script, Lucasfilm’s approval, and a classic Star Wars character. What went wrong?
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. “We took it to [Disney executives] Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.” Even though the character dies four times in the last movie, they couldn’t figure it out.
According to Driver, they even aimed to make it smaller and less expensive than the majority of prior Star Wars films. The Rise of Skywalker alone cost over $600 million, so we know Disney has deep pockets.
“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 added. “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.”
In the same article, Soderbergh said, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
It sounds like The Hunt for Ben Solo could have dramatically reshaped Star Wars by continuing Ben Solo’s redemption and exploring his survival beyond the last movie. With Steven Soderbergh involved, the film promised a more mature, psychological tone that moved beyond traditional Jedi-versus-Sith storytelling. It might have expanded the post-Skywalker era, introduced new characters, and explored moral gray areas within the Force.
Good examples of Sodenburgh’s style are Solaris (2002), Contagion (2011), and The Limey (1999), which could have shown a more mature, realistic, and emotionally charged tone to the franchise.
Star Wars movies have ranged from good to garbage. The movie could have united divided fans, challenged Disney’s safe creative formula, and provided emotional closure to the Skywalker legacy—potentially redefining the future of the galaxy far, far away through bold storytelling and a fresh cinematic vision.
(Via The Associated Press h/t Punch Drunk Critics)
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