Adam Driver played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and he was plotting a comeback with an iconic director until Disney pulled the plug.
“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.“
Driver had a concept for a movie which would have taken place after The Rise of Skywalker. You’ll recall that Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo, died at the end of that movie, but this is Star Wars. The actor felt there was a lot of unfinished business for the character and he took his idea to Steven Soderbergh. The idea was developed over two years, with Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt (Logan Lucky) outlining the script and pitching it to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, vice-president Cary Beck, and CCO Dave Filoni. They loved it, and Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) was brought in the write a script.
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“[It was] one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of,” Driver said. However, Disney ultimately nixed the project.
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver explained. “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. It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ and it was really cool. But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.“
In a statement, Soderbergh added, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.“
Although Driver may not be returning as Ben Solo, his co-star Daisy Ridley is set to return to the franchise. A new project has been in development that will follow Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order and mentor a new group of young potential Jedi. It was once thought to be one of the first projects to bring Star Wars back to the big-screen, but it has been pushed back again and again. Instead, the first new Star Wars movie to hit theaters in over six years will be The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will be released in theaters on May 22, 2026. Next up will be Star Wars: Starfighter, which is currently in production for a May 28, 2027 release.
Would you like to see Adam Driver return to Star Wars?