Steven Soderbergh continues to talk about the canceled Star Wars movie “The Hunt for Ben Solo,” starring Adam Driver. In a new interview with BK Mag, the Oscar-winning director said he read Kathleen Kennedy’s interview with her leaving Lucasfilm and was “not surprised” to hear about her dissatisfaction with Disney’s cancellation of The Rise of Skywalker sequel film, which would have seen Driver return to the role of fan-favorite Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
“We were all frustrated,” Soderbergh said. “You know, it was two-and-a-half years of free work for me and Adam and (writer) Rebecca Brandt. When Adam and I talked about him talking about it in public, I said, ‘Look, don’t edit or speculate why. Just tell me what happened, because all we know is what happened.'” The stated reason was, “I don’t think Ben Solo is alive.” And that’s all we were told. So there’s nothing to do about it but move on. ”
“I was making a movie in my head, but I was disappointed that no one would see it,” the director continued. “I thought the conversation was going to be strictly practical, where it was going to be, how much it was going to cost, and I had very good answers to that. But it didn’t get to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”
Driver revealed the existence of “The Hunt for Ben Solo” in an interview with The Associated Press in October 2025, explaining that he and Soderbergh had been developing a Ben Solo movie for two years. Disney executives subsequently recanted their involvement.
“I’ve always wanted to do Star Wars again,” Driver said at the time. “We’ve been talking about doing the next one since 2021. Kathleen[Kennedy]contacted me. I always said, ‘If you have a great director and a great story, it’s going to happen.'” I loved that character and loved playing him. ”
Driver liked the script for The Hunt for Ben Solo, calling it the “standard” of what a Star Wars movie “should be” and comparing it to the “homemade, character-driven” feel of The Empire Strikes Back. He added that Lucasfilm executives Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Cary Beck supported the project until Disney canceled it.
“We submitted the script to Lucasfilm, and they really liked the idea,” Driver recalls. “They completely 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 understand how Ben Solo lived, and that was it.”
Director Soderbergh offered his thoughts on the film’s cancellation, writing for Blue Sky, shortly afterwards writing: “For the record, I didn’t like lying about the existence of ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo,’ but it’s really a secret. It had to be kept secret… until now! … Also, in the aftermath of the HFBS situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if LFL had ever greenlit a completed film script to Disney and it was rejected. “No, this was the first time. ”
Following Driver’s revelations, “Star Wars” fans began calling on social media for Disney to reverse its decision and resume development on “The Hunt for Ben Solo.” A group of “Star Wars” fans even paid a flight to hang a banner reading “Save Ben Solo” over Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Even Daisy Ridley, who played Rey opposite Driver in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, defended the fans’ support for The Hunt for Ben Solo.
“I knew part of it. I heard the rumblings,” Ridley told IGN. “I have a lot of friends who are crew members, so things always go the same way. But whoa! When this story came out, no, I was like, ‘Oh my god!'” And he’s the one who said that, right? What was interesting was, “Oh, wow, Adam is saying this,” and that was the big surprise of the year. ”
Ridley added, “I love that there’s positivity coming together. It’s great for all of us that the internet seems to be coming together to make it happen. It’s good for all of us to come together around something in a really positive way. Of course, we all know he was a very popular character, but it was also lovely to think, ‘Wow, people really, really care and want this.'” I just… I like it. ”
