Director Steven Soderbergh is finally breaking his silence on “The Hunt for Ben Solo.” The project was officially announced by Adam Driver last yr. 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.”
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Steven Soderbergh Breaks Silence On Scrapped Ben Solo ‘Star Wars’ Movie
The sequel trilogy kicked off with 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” by 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 to be able to bring her back to life, and seemingly faded into the Force himself.
Although Lucasfilm approved the thought, Disney executives later pulled the plug, saying they didn’t understand how Ben Solo could still be alive. In a brand new interview with BK Mag, the Oscar-winning filmmaker said, “It was no surprise” to listen to that former Lucasfilm exec Kathleen Kennedy was frustrated by the film’s cancellation during her exit interview.
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Soderbergh Said He Put In Over Two Years Of ‘Free Work’
“We were all frustrated,” Soderbergh said. “, 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, don’t editorialize or speculate in regards to the why. Just say what happened, because all we all know is what happened.’ The stated reason was, ‘We don’t think Ben Solo might be alive.’ And that was all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do about it, you already know, except move on.”
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“I’d form of made the movie in my head, and just felt bad that no person else was going to get to see it,” he continued. “I assumed the conversation was strictly going to be a practical one—where they go, what is that this going to cost? And I had a extremely good answer for that. However it never even got to that time. It’s insane. We’re all very disillusioned.”
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Adam Driver Revealed The Movie’s Existence In October 2025
In October 2025, fans were shocked to listen to Adam Driver reveal that the movie had been within the works when he was promoting his latest film, “Father Mother Sister Brother,” in an interview with the Associated Press.
“I at all times was fascinated by doing one other ‘Star Wars,’” Driver said. “I had been talking about doing one other one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I at all times said: With a fantastic director and a fantastic 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 vp Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. Scott Z. Burns was brought in to write down the script, which Driver called “one in all the good (expletive) scripts I had ever been an element of.”
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Adam Driver Claims Lucasfilm ‘Loved The Idea’
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the thought. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver says. “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and so 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. “However it isn’t any more, so I can finally discuss 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 desired to be judicial about easy methods to spend money and be economical with it, and do it for lower than most but in the identical spirit of what those movies are, which is handmade and character-driven,” Driver says. “‘Empire Strikes Back’ being, for my part, the usual of what those movies were. But he’s, to me, one in all my favorite directors of all time. He lives his code, lives his ethics, doesn’t compromise.”
On the time, Soderbergh released his own statement, saying, “I actually enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
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Daisy Ridley Comments On ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
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 along with her thoughts on the cancelled film.
“I knew a chunk of it. I heard rumblings,” Ridley told IGN last December. “I even have plenty of friends who’re crew, so things at all times travel like that. But, whoa! When the story got here out, no, I used to be 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 large surprise of the yr.”
“I do love when there may be a collective of positivity,” Ridley added, “The way in which the web seems to have rallied to attempt to get it to occur. It’s incredible for us all. It’s good for us to all be united about something in a extremely positive way. Obviously, everyone knows he was a very fashionable character, nevertheless it was also lovely to think, ‘Wow, people really, really care and need this.’ I just… I prefer it.”
Although “The Hunt for Ben Solo” may never make it to the silver screen, “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will probably be released in theaters on May 22, 2026, making it the primary “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”