According to a new report, Disney cancelled a Star Wars movie that would have changed The Rise of Skywalker's ending. While Disney and Lucasfilm have at least two Star Wars films in the chamber, in The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, marking the first two films to release post-Skywalker Saga, the star-faring brand has not had the best time getting back to the big-screen over the last half-decade. Whether it be a global pandemic, Hollywood strikes, or various stops and starts, Star Wars has been somewhat lost in space since Episode IX's controversial conclusion.
It turns out, the House of Mouse was presented with an idea for a movie that would have walked back elements of The Rise of Skywalker, and the studio turned it down. Speaking in a new interview with Associated Press, former Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver revealed he was actively working on a Rise of Skywalker follow-up before Disney shut it down.
Driver revealed he and Oceans 11 director Steven Soderbergh were working on a new Star Wars film titled The Hunt For Ben Solo that would have, in some way, changed the end of Episode IX in which Driver's character sacrificed himself to help Daisy Ridley's Rey defeat the villainous Emperor Palpatine.
"It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo, and it was really cool," the Sequel Trilogy actor remarked, adding that "I had been talking about doing another one since 2021:"
"I always was interested in doing another 'Star Wars'. 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...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."
However, when the movie was presented to Disney, "they said no," as they "didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive." This came despite Lucasfilm, according to Driver, being interested in pursuing the project:
"We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle 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 that."
Driver called the project "one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of," while, 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."
It is unclear how the movie would have handled the reemergence of Driver's Star Wars character, but, given the consensus surrounding The Rise of Skywalker (especially when it comes to how it handled Kylo Ren), it is a shame fans will never get to see what could have been a retroactive redemption for the 2019 film.
The next Star Wars movie to come to theaters will be next May's The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is due out on May 22, 2026. Thus far, there have only been three Star Wars film projects confirmed to take place post-The Rise of Skywalker on the Lucasfilm slate: Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Rey Skywalker movie, and Simon Kinberg's yet-to-be-titled trilogy of films.
Lamenting the Lost Kylo Ren Movie
Hearing this new report from Adam Driver is sure to cut deep for Star Wars fans. Yes, the Sequel Trilogy as a whole was as divisive as it comes; one of the most widely praised elements of the trio of films was Adam Driver's Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
That is why it was so disappointing to see the character taken off the board at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, seemingly closing the book on any potential follow-up. However, now hearing Driver wanted to come back, had a script and a vow to direct from the great Steven Soderbergh, only for it to get shut down by Disney, that is going to hurt.
This project seemed to have all the makings of something great. A talented star, a director fans know and love, and the backing of Lucasfilm leadership in Kathleen Kennedy, Cary Beck, and Dave Filoni. But, apparently, that is not good enough.
If Disney was so concerned about bringing Ben Solo back from the dead, one has to remember this is the franchise that resurrected a character like Darth Maul after being cut in half—and Maul is about to make his 20th canon appearance in a show of his own coming next year.
This has been the problem with Lucasfilm/Disney over the last few years. They can't get out of their own way. The studio team has been so gun-shy following the disastrous response to the Sequels that, even when presented with a seemingly good idea, those at the top have been scared to do anything with it.
Hopefully, that time is over, with projects like Starfighter getting pitched, greenlit, and put into production in what seemed to be a matter of months, and the franchise can stop tripping over its own feet.
