In an unexpected revelation that is already sending a ripple through the galaxy far, far away, Adam Driver has revealed that he spent two years developing a “Star Wars” film with Steven Soderbergh — a project that was ultimately shut down by Disney executives despite support from Lucasfilm leadership.
“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” Driver revealed to the Associated Press this week, reflecting on his time as Kylo Ren, the conflicted Sith heir introduced in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” “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.”
According to Driver, he took a concept to Soderbergh for a film set after “The Rise of Skywalker.” That 2019 film ended with Kylo Ren’s redemption and apparent death, but Driver felt there was “unfinished business” with the character — or, as he was once known, Ben Solo.
Soderbergh and screenwriter Rebecca Blunt developed a story that the pair pitched to Kathleen Kennedy, Cary Beck, and Dave Filoni at Lucasfilm, who responded enthusiastically. To further flesh out the vision, they enlisted Scott Z. Burns (“Contagion”) to write the screenplay. “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said.
The film, titled “The Hunt for Ben Solo,” was conceived as a sequel exploring Ren’s survival and spiritual reckoning. “It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ and it was really cool,” Driver explained. “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 called the finished draft “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.” Soderbergh, in a brief statement to the AP, confirmed his participation and added his own wry epilogue: “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
The “Girls” actor said he was perplexed as to why Disney wouldn’t go forward with the picture.
“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 said. “‘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.”
Had it moved forward, “The Hunt for Ben Solo” would have reunited one of Hollywood’s most adventurous directors with a star eager to revisit one of his most complex characters — an alternate chapter in the “Star Wars” canon that now joins the long list of what-ifs in the galaxy’s cinematic history.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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