Disney Just Threw Away Its Only Chance To Save Star Wars

Star Wars fans received the devastating news earlier this week that sequel trilogy actor Adam Driver and legendary director Steven Soderbergh worked together to create a Star Wars movie that Disney ultimately rejected. The movie was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and would have brought Driver’s Kylo Ren character back to the big screen.

This was more than just another creative misstep on Disney’s part: in many ways, the House of Mouse just threw away their one real chance to save Star Wars.

A New Hope for Star Wars

Driver told the Associated Press about the movie, confirming its title and that it would have taken place after the 2019 critical disaster The Rise of Skywalker. According to the actor, Lucasfilm “loved the idea” and “totally understood our angle and why we were doing it.” Unfortunately, once they took the completed script to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, “they said no” for the simple reason that “they didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive,” seemingly killing this film’s hopes of ever seeing the light of day.

This rejection was actually historic, as Steven Soderbergh personally asked Kathleen Kennedy if Disney had ever rejected a finished movie script that Lucasfilm had given the green light. She confirmed that “this was a first,” meaning she was just as confused as Soderbergh and Driver about why Disney didn’t want to make this movie. Unfortunately, this rejection may have sealed the fate of Star Wars, a franchise that Disney has been steadily running into the ground for nearly a decade.

The Best Part of the Worst Movies

That’s because, with respect to other talented performers like Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, and John Boyega, Adam Driver was by far the most talented actor in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. Even when he was given exceedingly hammy dialogue (which was basically every freaking film), he managed to give Kylo Ren plenty of nuance, effectively portraying a fallen character who still had goodness hiding inside him. On top of that, he had such great chemistry with Daisy Ridley that it launched a thousand fanfics (shout out to all you Reylos out there!).

If Disney gave The Hunt for Ben Solo the green light, we would have had a Star Wars movie entirely focusing on Adam Driver’s character rather than having him as part of a huge ensemble cast. The actor works well in such an environment; if you doubt that, just go watch how great he is in Marriage Story, a movie whose small cast and intimate subject matter allow Driver to show a full range of simply stunning acting ability. Just think how great he could be in a Star Wars movie where he could play something more complex than a mustache-twirling villain!

Saving Two Movies At Once

Furthermore, Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order movie seems dead in the water, and there are strong rumors that the upcoming Starfighter film will include Rey as a way to soft-launch her own solo films. We don’t have any details about the story of The Hunt for Ben Solo, but it’s a safe bet that Daisy Ridley would play at least a small part in it. If Disney really wants to get fans interested in a solo Rey movie (or, as rumored, an entire Rey trilogy), what better way than by producing a Kylo Ren film starring Adam Driver, the Sequel Trilogy’s Oscar-nominated secret weapon?

There’s still a small chance The Hunt for Ben Solo will get made: after news of this aborted movie made the rounds, fans flew a plane with a “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” on its banner over Disney Studios. Other fans erected a billboard in Times Square with phrases on it such as “No one’s ever really gone,” “Hope lives,” and “Ben is alive!” Interestingly, there are even rumors that it was Adam Driver’s plan to stoke fan demand for this movie, much like Ryan Reynolds did by leaking Deadpool test footage and creating hype for the first Deadpool movie.

Do or Do Not, Disney

I hope this rumor is true…rebellions are built on hope, and if there’s anyone who can effectively bully Disney into making a good Star Wars movie, it’s Adam Driver. But the House of Mouse has handled this franchise so poorly that I doubt they will own up to their mistake and create a movie starring their best actor and helmed by an Academy Award-winning director. This would be more than just another screw-up, too: by rejecting good ideas like this and embracing films like the tepid The Mandalorian & Grogu, Disney is effectively throwing away its last real chance to save its most famous franchise.