The Star Wars sequel trilogy features a lot of “what could have been” scenarios. I think even the biggest fans of the franchise can agree the three movies that make up the Rey Skywalker adventures are…uneven. Perhaps the biggest fluctuation occurred with regard to the villain Kylo Ren played by Adam Driver. The character ended up redeemed by the end of the third film even though, as Driver said, that wasn’t the plan. But, despite how the trilogy shook out, the actor loved playing in that galaxy. He even wanted to make another Star Wars film, with Steven Soderbergh no less.
So what happened? Lucasfilm was into it; Disney was not.
Lucasfilm
Speaking with Associated Press, Driver explained how he was very excited about returning to the role of Ben Solo, but it was not to be. “I always was interested in doing another Star Wars,” says Driver, who starred as Kylo Ren in the trilogy kicked off by 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.”
The actor had a premise he was excited about and took it to renowned filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. (Must be nice to be able to do that.) He took on the role of Kylo Ren believing the character would invert the usual redemption arc, which was evident in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. However, the reaction to the latter led Disney to rethink the trilogy climax and instead turn Ben Solo back to the Light Side. This did not sit will with Driver who felt more could be done with the character.
Soderbergh then wrote an outline with Rebecca Blunt which the pair and Driver pitched to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. They were into it, so screenwriter Scott Z. Burns came in to craft a script, which Driver calls one of the best he’d ever read.
Rey and Kylo Ren do battle in the wreckage of the old Death Star in an epic duel in The Rise of Skywlker.
Unfortunately, even though Lucasfilm were enthusiastic, the Disney bigwigs were not. “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver says. “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.”
“It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and it was really cool,” adds Driver. “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.” Soderbergh, in a statement, said: “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
Boy, for a saga dealing with lack of faith and vision, it’s interesting to hear that the irony is totally lost on C-suite people when hearing ideas. Driver’s Kylo/Ben may well be one of the few aspects of the trilogy (ending aside) that fans agree on. Why not give him a solo (ha) movie to see where else he can go? Not to mention give a Star Wars movie to a filmmaker like Steven Soderbergh! Truly, what might have been.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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