While promoting season 2 of “Beef,” Oscar Isaac answered questions on “The Hunt For Ben Solo.” The scrapped “Star Wars” movie was a passion project spearheaded by his “Star Wars” co-star, Adam Driver, and director Steven Soderbergh. Unfortunately, Driver’s character appeared to pass away at the tip of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” and although the pitch was approved by Lucasfilm, Disney execs shut down the project after they didn’t understand how Ben Solo could come back to life.
Why Was ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’ Scrapped?
In October 2025, Adam Driver told the Associated Press that he “all the time was interested” in doing one other “Star Wars” film. After discussing his idea with Kathleen Kennedy, he and Soderbergh set to work on a script that was written by Scott Z. Burns.
The script was seemingly well-received by Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice chairman Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. The “Marriage Story” actor called it “considered one of the good (expletive) scripts I had ever been a component of.”
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the concept. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. “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.”
Oscar Isaac Reveals What He Knew Of ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
While promoting season 2 of “Beef,” Isaac appeared as a guest on Josh Horowitz’s “Joyful, Sad, Confused” podcast. While a lot of the interview addressed his role within the hit Netflix series, he was also asked just a few questions on his “Star Wars” character: Resistance pilot and leader Poe Dameron.
While Isaac hinted that he was “possibly” open to reprising his role in a future movie, he revealed that he didn’t know anything about “The Hunt For Ben Solo” when the ill-fated script was brought up in conversation.
“No, I didn’t read it,” Isaac said. “I had nothing to do with it.”
Oscar Isaac Addresses The ‘In some way, Palpatine Returned’ Line
Many fans thought it was odd that Bob Iger would turn down “The Hunt For Ben Solo” when quite a few characters have been brought back from the dead before. Darth Maul, who was cut in half during “The Phantom Menace,” reappeared in several animated shows before getting his own animated series, “Maul – Shadow Lord,” which has received rave reviews.
Even in 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” Emperor Palpatine was brought back from the dead in an effort to serve because the film’s primary antagonist. Isaac delivered the road “In some way, Palpatine returned” himself, which has been widely mocked across social media within the years following the film’s release.
When asked about that line, Isaac revealed that it was a late addition to the movie that was only added during reshoots. “Those were reshoots. We needed to do reshoots. Those are those surgical strikes where you are available, and so they are scrambling, attempting to get every part going,” he said. “And I feel that was a brand new addition at the tip.” He also admitted he had no idea the road would turn out to be meme-worthy.
Isaac Reflects On The ‘Excitement’ Of Filming ‘Star Wars’
The sequel trilogy kicked off with 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” which hit theaters over ten years ago. Isaac said that his “favorite experience of doing the primary one was wild” and recalled “a lot excitement” on set because “every part was latest.”
He talked about “becoming close with” director J.J. Abrams and meeting his costars, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. He also mentioned that he enjoyed “reuniting” with Adam Driver, as they’d previously appeared in “Inside Llewyn Davis” together. “That was such an exciting moment,” Isaac recalled.
Oscar Isaac Had Nothing But Positive Things To Say About Rian Johnson
“The Force Awakens” was followed by 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” which proved to be probably the most divisive film within the sequel trilogy. While some fans loved the movie’s daring latest direction, others felt that the story strayed too removed from what Abrams had arrange in “The Force Awakens.”
In response to the backlash, Isaac admitted that he grew up “with fans and geeks,” so he knew “how much ownership people feel over them.” But he admitted that he “loved” the experience of filming “The Last Jedi” with director Rian Johnson and getting the chance to satisfy him.
“He’s so laid back, so funny, and attempting to make it his own. I loved Benicio being in it, too, stuttering,” Isaac said. “I actually loved it, it was such an incredible experience.”
It stays to be seen if Isaac will ever reprise his role as Poe Dameron, but fans have speculated that he might make an appearance in Ryan Gosling‘s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which hits theaters in May 2027. The primary “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since “The Rise of Skywalker” can be “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.