The Star Wars Film That Never Was | The Hunt for Ben Solo

Every so often, a story breaks that makes Star Wars fans everywhere stop, stare, and go

“Wait… WHAT?”

This is one of those stories.

Recently, Adam Driver revealed (via apnews) he was developing a new Star Wars film called The Hunt for Ben Solo alongside acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. Yes, that Steven Soderbergh.

The idea? A story set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, continuing the legacy of the one character who truly carried the sequel trilogy on his shoulders… Ben Solo, formerly known as Kylo Ren.

According to Driver, he’d been in talks with Kathleen Kennedy since 2021.

He made it clear: with the right director and the right story, he’d return to the galaxy far, far away in a heartbeat. So he pitched the concept to Soderbergh, and with writer Rebecca Blunt, to which they fleshed out a post Rise of Skywalker story centered on Ben Solo.

They then brought in screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, THe Informant) to craft a script.

Driver later called it “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I’ve ever been a part of.” Lucasfilm loved it. Creative leads like Dave Filoni were reportedly intrigued. But then came the big bosses at Disney… Bob Iger and Alan Bergman.

Their answer? No.

Their reasoning? They didn’t see how Ben Solo could still be alive after his death in the final film.

And just like that, The Hunt for Ben Solo became a dream project that would never see the light of day.

Love or hate the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren was its strongest element. That’s not exactly a controversial take.

While Rey was poorly developed and Finn criminally underused, Ben Solo was layered, conflicted, and compelling. A lot of that is thanks to Adam Driver’s powerhouse performance, but it’s also because Kylo’s arc had real meat to it.

When they killed him off at the end of The Rise of Skywalker ((SPOILERS)), it felt like a door slamming shut on the one part of the trilogy that worked.

Sure, some fans wrote off the sequels entirely, but for many, Ben Solo was the redeeming thread. And a film exploring the legacy, or even the survival, of that character? That could have been something special.

This also shines a pretty harsh light on Disney’s corporate hand in Lucasfilm’s creative direction.

Kennedy and Lucasfilm leadership reportedly liked the idea. But the final decision came from Iger and Bergman. That’s not studio trust… that’s micromanagement.

When you have these creative branches like… Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel etc. you have to let them operate. Otherwise, why even have them?

And frankly, this isn’t the first time Iger has stepped in to redirect projects. Remember how The Mandalorian & Grogu went from a TV season to a feature film? Or how Moana’s follow up shifted from series to theatrical? Yeah. This is a pattern.

And it honestly begs the question… Have fans been blaming the wrong person for Lucasfilm’s missteps all these years?

Maybe Kathleen Kennedy hasn’t been the sole problem. Maybe it’s been Iger pulling the strings from behind the curtain…. Or maybe it’s just a recent development? Either way, it’s a bad look.

If Lucasfilm was serious about winning back parts of the fractured fandom, leaning into Ben Solo was the smart play. Build on the one character people actually liked. Not Rey. Not the most divisive aspects of the sequels. Kylo Ren.

Instead, we’re getting a Mandalorian & Grogu movie… one that probably shouldn’t even be a movie in the first place.

And the much talked about Rey film? Well, let’s be real, that isn’t happening, at least not with Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy..

The Hunt for Ben Solo could have been the bridge between the sequel trilogy and something genuinely exciting. Even as a standalone film, it had the potential to heal some wounds and get fans talking about Star Wars in a positive way again.

But, we’ll probably never see The Hunt for Ben Solo. And that’s a damn shame. Because for the first time in a long time, a Star Wars idea actually sounded bold. It wasn’t a nostalgia grab or a “safe bet.” It was a character driven concept that focused on what worked…. not what divided fans.

Whether this was Iger trying to control the narrative or just Disney playing it safe, one thing’s VERY clear… fans deserved to at least see this story on screen.

What do you think?

Would you have rather seen The Hunt for Ben Solo instead of the upcoming Mando & Grogu adventure on the big screen? Drop your thoughts below!