Adam Driver Confirms Disney Has Turned Down Steven Soderbergh’s STAR WARS Spinoff THE HUNT FOR BEN SOLO

Adam Driver recently confirmed that Disney has passed on a Ben Solo spinoff that it pitched and developed with the director Steven Soderbergh. The project, entitled The Hunt for Ben Solocould have given fans the character’s redemption story, but it never made it past Disney’s top brass.

During an interview with AP to promote Jim Jarmusch’S Father Mother Sister BrotherDriver revealed that he and Soderbergh spent two years developing a Star Wars movie that Lucasfilm reportedly loved, only for Disney executives to shut it down.

The actor described the project as “one of the (expletive) greatest scripts I’ve ever been a part of.”

According to Driver, the obstacle came from above:

“We pitched the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our point of view and why we were doing it. 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 it… It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and it was really good. But he’s gone, so I can finally talk about it.”

I guess I’m not surprised that Disney passed on a Ben Solo redemption story directed by Steven Soderbergh. This is along with major missed opportunities in the franchise’s long list of canceled projects.

The driver was genuinely interested and excited to return. He added:

“I’ve always been interested in doing another Star Wars. I’ve been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had contacted me. I always said: with a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and I loved playing him.”

Soderbergh echoed the disappointment, saying:

“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t be able to see it.”

Soderbergh’s idea of ​​bringing his edgy, cerebral style to a galaxy far, far away seems like something that could have reinvigorated Star Wars storytelling. It’s a little frustrating that the project never got a chance to be developed.

Disney may not want negative headlines as it ushers in a new era of Star Warsbut rejecting a project that had both Adam Driver AND Steven Soderbergh on board it feels like a great missed opportunity. Considering how divisive The Rise of Skywalker era, a film that explored Ben Solo’s redemption could have given fans some closure.

But, The Hunt for Ben Solo joins the long list of “what might have been” stories in the Star Wars universe, and some fans are angry about the missed opportunity for this one.