(Left) Adam Driver in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’. Photo: Lucasfilm. (Right) Oscar® nominee Steven Soderbergh arrives on the red carpet of The 93rd Oscars® at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
Preview:
- Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh pitched the idea for a Ben Solo ‘Star Wars’ spin-off.
- It was to have followed his character after ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
- Lucasfilm liked the idea; Disney didn’t want to make it.
While it has been quite the wait for new ‘Star Wars’ cinematic offerings since 2019’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, it’s not for want of Adam Driver and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh trying.
In a new interview with the AP, Driver revealed that he and his ‘Logan Lucky’ director worked together (alongside writers Scott Z. Burns and Rebecca Blunt) to create ‘Star Wars’ spin-off ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’.
“Every generation has a legend”
Release Date: Dec 20, 2019
Run Time: 2 hr 22 min
Budget: $489,900,000
The movie would have been Ben (AKA Kylo Ren) secretly surviving the events of ‘Skywalker’ and going on a quest for redemption.
Here’s what Driver said about a potential return:
“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.”
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So, what happened with ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’?
(L to R) Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ Photo: Lucasfilm.
As Driver tells it, he, Soderbergh, Blunt (who helped rough out the story) and Burns (who wrote a draft) came up with the idea –– no word on how Solo survives after seemingly dying in ‘Skywalker,’ but if Palpatine can return, who knows? –– and took it to Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck at Lucasfilm, who all loved the idea.
But the space-buck doesn’t stop with them, and the group then had to sell Disney on the idea.
Here’s Driver on how that went:
“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.”
And this is what Soderbergh told the AP of his regrets for the unmade movie:
“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
What’s next for ‘Star Wars’ in theaters?
(L to R) Grogu and Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’. Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm. © 2025 Lucasfilm Ltd™. All Rights Reserved.
The actual next film will be ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ which has Jon Favreau in the director’s chair and flies on to screens on May 22 next year.
That’s followed by ‘Star Wars: Starfighter,’ starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, due to arrive May 28, 2027.
(L to R): Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray on the set of ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’. Photo: Shawn Levy/Instagram.
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