Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh expressed frustration over the cancellation of his planned Star Wars spin-off, The Hunt for Ben Solo, which was set to follow Kylo Ren’s story after 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. The project, intended to reinvigorate the franchise by continuing the tale of Adam Driver’s character, was abruptly shelved by Disney, leaving both Soderbergh and fans disappointed.
In a February 17 interview with BK Mag, coinciding with the promotion of his Singani 63 brandy and his curated events at Nitehawk’s Brooklyn theaters, Soderbergh revealed the extent of his disappointment. He described the film’s termination as a frustrating end to a creative collaboration involving himself, Driver, and writer Rebecca Blunt.
The Collapse of The Hunt for Ben Solo
Soderbergh detailed that the cancellation was largely due to Disney’s refusal to accept the premise that Ben Solo was alive after The Rise of Skywalker. The director explained that discussions with the studio quickly fell apart before practical matters like budgeting could be addressed. He said,
“You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and [writer] Rebecca Blunt,”
underlining the personal investment involved.
The director continued,
“When Adam and I discussed him talking about it publicly, I said, ‘Look, do not editorialize or speculate about the why. Just say what happened, because all we know is what happened.’ The stated reason was ‘We don’t think Ben Solo could be alive.’ And that was all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do about it, you know, except move on.”
This left the creative team with no choice but to abandon the project without further explanation from Disney.
Soderbergh’s Creative Response Following the Shutdown
Though Soderbergh said he
“kind of made the movie in my [his] head,”
he expressed regret that audiences would never see the film realized. He described expecting a straightforward conversation with Disney focused on production costs but was confused when the dialogue never progressed to that stage:
“I thought the conversation [with Disney] was strictly going to be a practical one—where they go, what is this going to cost? And I had a really good answer for that. But it never even got to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”
In the aftermath, Soderbergh turned to writing more scripts than ever before, using the setback as motivation to generate new material.
“I thought the next two years of my life were going to be spent making a Star Wars movie. And so, in the immediate aftermath of that, my response was, ‘You better start getting some shit generated so you can go back to work,’”
he shared. This creative flow became a necessary response to keep his career momentum going.
Adam Driver on the Ambition Behind the Project
Details about The Hunt for Ben Solo emerged in October 2025 from Adam Driver during an interview with the Associated Press. The actor noted their intention to manage resources carefully while preserving the core, character-driven spirit of Star Wars films.
“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 explained. However, he remained tight-lipped about specific plot points, leaving fans unaware of how his character might have survived past encounters with the Knights of Ren.
Looking Ahead: Star Wars Beyond the Cancelled Film
Although audiences may never see Adam Driver reprise Kylo Ren on the big screen, the Star Wars franchise continues to develop new characters and stories. The forthcoming film featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for release on May 22, offers fans another chance to experience the franchise’s evolving narrative with a different masked figure at its center. As Star Wars moves forward, the fate of canceled projects like Soderbergh’s The Hunt for Ben Solo illustrates the challenges within the franchise’s creative and corporate landscape.
