Adam Driver is essentially closing out his era as Kylo Ren. The actor does not expect to reprise Ben Solo in Star Wars and believes that the opportunity to pursue The Hunt for Ben Solo, the film he developed with Steven Soderbergh, has already passed. His latest comments dampen the hopes of fans who have been urging Disney to resurrect the project.
The news isn’t that the studio announced yet another cancellation, but that Driver himself seems to have set aside the possibility of pushing that film forward. During a conversation on “The Rich Eisen Show,” as reported by TheWrap, the actor replied that he did not expect to do more Star Wars. Facing the possibility that Disney might change its mind, he added an important caveat: he would be open to the company rebooting the proposal, but the decision would not rest with him.
The actor was promoting Paper Tiger when the topic resurfaced. Far from suggesting negotiations were underway, he recalled the work invested in the project and acknowledged that the public’s enthusiasm, including billboard campaigns and a plane circling Disney’s studios, had surprised him. None of that has changed, at least for now, the company’s stance.
A Ben Solo Movie That Went from Script to the Drawer
“The Hunt for Ben Solo” was not an improvised idea to ride Kylo Ren’s popularity. Driver and Soderbergh worked for about two years on the story, with the participation of Scott Z. Burns and Rebecca Blunt. The project aimed to continue Ben Solo’s life after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), when the character completed his redemption and died after saving Rey.
The development of the feature and Disney’s rejection were already known. As Driver explained at the time, Lucasfilm had received the proposal well, but Disney’s top executives, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, did not find a convincing way to continue the story of a character who had died on screen. The film never went into production.
The objection is especially significant in a saga where posthumous appearances, visions, and various forms of connection to the Force are part of the storytelling. That does not mean that “The Hunt for Ben Solo” would have used any of those solutions: its plot remains unknown and Driver has not detailed how they planned to justify the return.
The fans’ reaction hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Upon learning of the dismissal, part of the audience organized a campaign to push the movie forward. Driver has appreciated that support, but he has not turned it into a promise. In his remarks he stressed that, no matter how much he and the creative team wanted to tell that story, the final word still rested with Disney.
The same goes for Soderbergh, who had voiced a similar stance months earlier. In April, when asked by The Playlist about a possible revival of the project, he made clear that he did not expect it to happen. The alignment of both reinforces the sense that there is no longer an active team pursuing the film’s revival.
That does not amount to an irrevocable veto on the character. A future decision by Lucasfilm or Disney could alter the situation, and Driver has not said he would reject any offer in every scenario. But there is no announced return of Ben Solo, and the actor has stopped speaking of “The Hunt for Ben Solo” as an immediate possibility. In the meantime, the saga continues on its cinematic path with projects such as “Star Wars: Starfighter,” starring Ryan Gosling and slated for 2027.
