Adam Driver has again dampened hopes for The Hunt for Ben Solo, saying on The Rich Eisen Show that his proposed return to Star Wars is “over” and that “the ship has sailed” on the unmade film.
During the interview, Driver said there would be “no more Star Wars” for him after the failed attempt to make one more story about Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo. He said the explanation from Disney was essentially that the character was dead, a reference to Ben Solo’s apparent death at the end of The Rise of Skywalker.
Driver said the team had worked on the film earnestly for about two years. The proposed movie involved Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh, Scott Z. Burns, and Rebecca Blunt, and Driver described the script as strong. He also made clear that the final decision was not his.
When asked whether Disney or Lucasfilm could still resurrect the project, Driver left a narrow opening, saying the company could do so if it wanted. He followed that by saying he thought the moment had passed.
Why Disney passed on The Hunt for Ben Solo
The project was never announced as part of Disney’s official film slate. Driver first confirmed the project in an Associated Press interview in 2025, describing a story set after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
According to Driver, the team presented the script to Lucasfilm, where the idea was well received. The project then went to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, who rejected it because they did not see how Ben Solo could be alive after Episode IX.
That makes the rejection unusual. Based on Driver’s public account, the issue was not a lack of star interest, a lack of a major director, or the absence of a finished creative pitch. The sticking point was franchise continuity.
That distinction is useful when reading the fan response. Public demand can show Disney that the character still has an audience. It does not automatically solve the story logic problem that executives reportedly saw in the pitch.
The fan campaign has not moved Disney
The reaction to the shelved project has been unusually visible for an unmade film. Driver mentioned billboards and planes flying over Disney, calling the fan response “incredible.” The Associated Press also reported earlier in 2026 that a plane flew over Disney’s Burbank studios with a banner asking the company to save The Hunt for Ben Solo.
The campaign has kept the title in circulation, but as of November 7, 2026, Disney and Lucasfilm have not announced a revival of the project.
Star Wars is moving forward without Ben Solo
Lucasfilm’s official big-screen plans are focused elsewhere. StarWars.com lists Star Wars: Starfighter for release on May 28, 2027, with Ryan Gosling starring and Shawn Levy directing. The film is described as a standalone adventure set after The Rise of Skywalker, but it is built around new characters rather than Ben Solo.
Lucasfilm has also gone through a leadership transition since Driver first discussed the rejected film. In January 2026, StarWars.com announced that Kathleen Kennedy was stepping down from Lucasfilm leadership to return to producing, with Dave Filoni becoming president and chief creative officer alongside Lynwen Brennan as co-president.
Soderbergh has also sounded uninterested in pushing for a revival. The Playlist reported in April that he did not plan to revisit the idea after Lucasfilm’s leadership change, and Driver’s latest comments now point in the same direction.
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