We thought we saw the last of Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, in Star Wars, but he almost came back. In a new interview, Adam Driver reveals he recruited none other than Steven Soderbergh to make a movie that would’ve followed the character after The Rise of Skywalker, but ultimately high-level Disney executives killed the idea.
“It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and it was really cool,” Driver told the Associated Press. “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.” Wait, what? It’s true. io9 confirmed Driver’s story with an independent source.
“I had been talking about doing another [Star Wars movie] since 2021,” Driver said. “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.’” So, Driver talked to his Logan Lucky collaborator, the Oscar-winning Soderbergh, who outlined a story with writer Rebecca Blunt which was pitched to Lucasfilm executives.
They liked the idea and hired frequent Soderbergh collaborator Scott Z. Burns to write a script. Driver said it was “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”
Classic Star Wars character, Lucasfilm’s approval, killer director, and script. What went wrong?
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. “We took it to [Disney executives] Bob Iger and Alan Bergman and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
A reminder that the character dies FOUR TIMES in The Rise of Skywalker, but that’s besides the point.
Driver even said that they wanted to make it smaller and more affordable than most other Star Wars movies. “We wanted to be judicial about how to spend money and be economical with it and do it for less than most but in the same spirit of what those movies are, which is handmade and character-driven,” Driver said. “Empire Strikes Back being, in my opinion, the standard of what those movies were. But he is, to me, one of my favorite directors of all time. He lives his code, lives his ethics, doesn’t compromise.”
In the same piece, Soderbergh said, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
So are we, Steven. So. Are. We.
This story was updated after publication when we got independent confirmation of its veracity.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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