Adam Driver recently revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh spent two years developing a standalone Star Wars project titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. The film was set to take place after The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and follow Driver’s Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, on a journey of redemption. He also revealed that Soderbergh initially worked on the story with Logan Lucky screenwriter Rebecca Blunt, and later Scott Z. Burns joined to help pen the script.
“I always was interested in doing another Star Wars,” Driver told AP in a sit-down chat. “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.” Driver further described the film as “handmade and character-driven,” comparing it to the 1980s classic The Empire Strikes Back, which he called the standard of what a Star Wars movie should be.
The duo pitched The Hunt for Ben Solo to Lucasfilm executives Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Cary Beck, who “loved the idea.” However, when the project was brought to Disney, it was rejected. “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,” Driver recalled.
{{/usCountry}}The duo pitched The Hunt for Ben Solo to Lucasfilm executives Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Cary Beck, who “loved the idea.” However, when the project was brought to Disney, it was rejected. “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,” Driver recalled.
{{/usCountry}}Soderbergh reflected on the experience, saying, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.” Driver echoed that sentiment, calling the project “one of the coolest [expletive] scripts I had ever been a part of.”
Driver first debuted as Kylo Ren in 2015’s The Force Awakens and reprised the role in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Representatives for Disney and Lucasfilm declined to comment on the project.
On the work front
This fall, Driver stars in his third collaboration with director Jim Jarmusch, in the Venice prize-winner Father Mother Sister Brother. Driver says he didn’t hesitate to join: “All Jarmusch needed to do was ask, and I was in, no matter the role.”