Disney Rejects Driver, Soderbergh's Ben Solo Sequel

Adam Driver said he and director Steven Soderbergh spent about two years developing a post–Rise of Skywalker film titled The Hunt for Ben Solo to follow Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s survival and redemption after Kathleen Kennedy reached out in 2021. The project was developed with Soderbergh, Rebecca Blunt (Julie Asner) and later scripted by Scott Z. Burns, and Driver called the finished script one of the coolest scripts he’d been part of. Lucasfilm executives including Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Cary Beck reportedly loved the idea, but when the pitch reached Disney CEO Bob Iger and co‑chairman Alan Bergman they rejected it, saying they “didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive.” Driver said the project is now “no more,” and Soderbergh described the planned film as a smaller, handmade, character‑driven entry aiming for the emotional tone of The Empire Strikes Back. Soderbergh added that he “really enjoyed making the movie in my head,” and fans have expressed frustration at the decision.