![‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’: Steven Soderbergh & Adam Driver’s Secret ‘Star Wars’ Movie Was Greenlit Before Disney Pulled The Plug [Exclusive]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/24141016/%E2%80%98The-Hunt-For-Ben-Solo-Steven-Soderbergh-Adam-Drivers-Secret-%E2%80%98Star-Wars-Movie-Was-Greenlit-Before-Disney-Pulled-The-Plug-Exclusive.jpg "‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’: Steven Soderbergh & Adam Driver’s Secret ‘Star Wars’ Movie Was Greenlit Before Disney Pulled The Plug [Exclusive]")
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, I guess. Six months ago, I learned that Steven Soderbergh and Adam Driver had quietly developed a post- “Rise of Skywalker” “Star Wars” film titled “The Hunt For Ben Solo,” written by Scott Z. Burns, but out of an abundance of reporterly caution, I didn’t go forward with the story. This week, Driver himself revealed the project’s existence in an Associated Press interview, confirming that he and Soderbergh had worked on a “Star Wars” movie that never came to fruition. The Playlist can now confirm that the film advanced far beyond development—it had a completed script, the full creative stamp of approval from Lucasfilm, including Kathleen Kennedy, and was greenlit internally before being canceled by Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman.
Sources close to the project emphasize that this was not a loose concept or early pitch. The film, operating under the codename Quiet Leaves, had a finalized screenplay and was entering early prep and staffing stages. Disney purchased a fully developed treatment and beat sheet, developed by Soderbergh and screenwriter Rebecca Blunt (the pseudonym for Jules Asner, Soderbergh’s wife, who also wrote “Logan Lucky”), and hired Scott Z. Burns—who was paid more than any screenwriter in Lucasfilm history—to complete the screenplay. Burns’ connection to “Star Wars” goes back further than most realize: The Playlist previously reported in 2016 that the “Contagion” screenwriter was one of the uncredited writers on “Rogue One” before Tony Gilroy came aboard to take over and complete that film. According to insiders, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Carrie Beck were directly involved throughout development and were reportedly enthusiastic about the drafts that came in. Kennedy and the “Star Wars” Story Group waited until the project was “ready to shoot” before they presented it to Disney. When the final script, budget, and proposed start date were delivered to Disney, it marked the first time Lucasfilm had ever presented a fully approved project that did not move forward [update: Soderbergh confirmed this detail himself just moments ago on BlueSky].
After the submission, the project stalled at the executive level. Sources say Bergman took an unusually long time to read the script, and when he and Iger finally responded, their primary concern was narrative continuity—specifically, uncertainty about how Ben Solo could be alive following the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.” Internally, that reaction surprised Lucasfilm leadership, who reportedly felt the story’s logic was clear and creatively sound. Several people close to the production interpret the decision as politically motivated, coinciding with Iger’s efforts to position Bergman as his successor at Disney.
The fallout from that decision appears to have extended beyond the project itself. Bergman’s handling of several high-profile initiatives has been criticized internally, and his standing within Disney’s succession plan has reportedly weakened. Other executives, including Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden, are now viewed as stronger contenders for the top job. Soderbergh and Driver were never compensated for their work on the project, while Burns reportedly received a low but substantial seven-figure sum.
Evidence of the film’s progress surfaced earlier this year when Lucasfilm designer Bobby McKenna posted on Twitter that he had taken part in a “design sprint” under the Quiet Leaves codename—an early preproduction phase for the movie. The title itself strongly suggests the narrative focus: Ben Solo, redeemed at the end of “The Rise of Skywalker,” survives, and his whereabouts become the central mystery. Whether Rey Skywalker or other established characters were involved remains unconfirmed.
Some fans have speculated that Driver’s recent comments were an attempt to pressure Disney into reviving the project, but sources close to both the actor and Soderbergh dispute this. Both filmmakers reportedly consider the project permanently shelved and are no longer bound by NDAs or any contractual restrictions, as the film is classified internally as “dead” (hence, feeling free to discuss it publicly for the first time).
Separately, recent online reports that David Fincher pitched a new “Star Wars” film following “The Rise of Skywalker” are inaccurate. As is already publicly, but not widely known, Fincher met with Lucasfilm years earlier, before “The Force Awakens”—as many filmmakers did—to gauge interest, but that conversation didn’t yield anything (Fincher has voiced his opinion about the challenges of making these films in the past). A source close to Fincher confirms that the filmmaker had a loose idea for a story set between episodes eight and nine of the Skywalker Saga (‘The Last Jedi’ and ‘TROS’), but it never progressed beyond the initial concept and failed to gain traction with Lucasfilm, resulting in no formal development. Reports that the final cut was a dealbreaker are incorrect, as the idea never remotely progressed that far—only a few phone calls were made between him and Kennedy. One source called it a “non-story,” and at the time of post- “Rise Of Skywalker,” Fincher had moved on and was focused on his Netflix projects: “Mank,” “The Killer,” and an unproduced “Chinatown” prequel series written by Robert Towne (that he still might make one day?)
Disney’s board is scheduled to meet in January to determine Iger’s successor, with an announcement about Kennedy’s eventual replacement at Lucasfilm expected soon after. Whether new leadership could revive abandoned projects remains uncertain, though probably unlikely. For now, “The Hunt For Ben Solo” stands as a rare example of a fully realized, Lucasfilm-approved “Star Wars” film that was stopped only after reaching Disney’s highest executive offices.
Lucasfilm did not respond to press inquiries for this story.
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.
