Star Wars fans, I don’t think you’d have to search your feelings too deeply to know that The Rise of Skywalker was a dud. The 2019 finale to the sequel trilogy era was, to say the least, wasted potential – especially when The Last Jedi ended on a promising note.
Even franchise star Adam Driver knew that, and he planned to fix part of that grand error in a project he dreamed up with writer/director Steven Soderbergh. But it never happened, and for reasons that Driver recently revealed.
‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’ Tried To Correct A Massive ‘Rise of Skywalker’ Flaw
In a new interview with AP News, promoting the new film Father Mother Sister Brother, Adam Driver wove a hell of a yarn involving that galaxy far far away. Contrary to what some would have thought, the iconoclastic actor was one of the catalysts behind this now discarded idea, as he revealed thusly:
“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars. 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.”
As it turns out, the Logan Lucky star knew exactly who to take this idea to: the Lucky team of Steven Soderbergh and co-writer/wife Jules Asner (under her pen name Rebecca Blunt). Titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, the story outline was supposed to flesh out a proper redemption of Kylo Ren.
Further justifying what felt like a last minute face turn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the idea got some pretty impressive “yes” votes from inside Lucasfilm. And yet, it hit a wall at a pretty late phase, for an unfortunate reason.
The Stumbling Block That Killed ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
Apparently the Lucasfilm brass, including president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni, loved this idea. Getting both of those parties on board feels like it should have been a silver bullet. However, as Adam Driver revealed later on in this tale, there was another band of executives that weren’t ready to buy in:
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it. 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.”
That’s right: The Hunt for Ben Solo actually had a script – written by Steven Soderbergh’s frequent collaborator Scott Z. Burns – who was also an uncredited writer on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Somehow, Ben Solo’s status was a mystery to the key holders at Disney, even with this story sounding like a mid-quel that explained the stuff we didn’t see in the trilogy that started with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Even Mr. Soderbergh himself expressed disappointment, as he offered this short but sad statement on what The Hunt for Ben Solo means to him:
“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
Unfortunately, The Hunt for Ben Solo: A Star Wars Story saw itself targeted in its own way, and the hit was successful. But despite Adam Driver’s insistence that it’s over, this dream could always find new life as an audio drama and/or comic book series. If fans make enough noise about wanting to “see” this cancelled film, who knows how it could resurface?
For now, fans will be able to get their Star Wars fix at a theater near them, when The Mandalorian & Grogu opens in theaters on May 22, 2026. And for those of you just looking to feels the Force once more, you can catch pretty much anything from that saga, through a Disney+ subscription.
Related: First Trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu Releases
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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