The Star Wars franchise is in a weird place right now. After a middling, divisive sequel trilogy, Disney set focus on the television side of things, where they found great success, notably through Andor and The Mandalorian. In terms of movies, there are a few projects in the works, particularly The Mandalorian and Grogu, as well as the return of Daisey Ridley's Rey in New Jedi Order.
While Kylo Ren died in the final moments of The Rise of Skywalker after sacrificing himself to help Rey defeat Emperor Palpatine, star Adam Driver is not completely done with exploring the character. In fact, in a recent interview with AP, Driver revealed that he and screenwriter Steven Soderbergh actually pitched an idea for a Ben Solo movie to Disney. Logan Lucky screenwriter Rebecca Blunt and Scott Z. Burns also got involved in the project. However, the idea sadly never got off the cutting room floor.
Titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, the movie would've taken place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, following Ben Solo on a search for redemption. Driver described the movie as “handmade and character-driven,” and compared it to The Empire Strikes Back. He called it the “standard” of "what a Star Wars movie should be.”
“I always was interested in doing another Star Wars” Driver told AP. “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.”
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea,” Driver added. “They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it."
But there was one big problem: when the credits rolled on The Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo was dead. "We took it to [Disney CEO] Bob Iger and [Disney Studio Entertainment Co-Chairman] Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that," Driver recalled.
Fans would no doubt love to read the scripts one day, but for now, they're sitting on some hard drive somewhere. Driver himself is proud of the project, calling it. “one of the coolest [expletive] scripts I had ever been a part of.” Soderbergh is also pleased to have worked on it. “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head," he said: "I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
There's currently no project in the works that would see Driver return to the galaxy far, far away. For now, The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next Star Wars movie coming down to theaters. It premieres on May 22, 2026.