Adam Driver still can’t believe Disney killed his Star Wars movie, The Hunt for Ben Solo, and has now gone so far as to say that the move “felt criminal.”
The Kylo Ren/Ben Solo actor relived some of the darker parts of his past with the massive sci-fi franchise during a recent conversation with AP. His updated thoughts on the matter follow years of work and months of fan organizing, and although he and director Steven Soderbergh have almost nothing to show for it, he’s still pretty fired up about how it all went down.
“For me it was: Steven Soderbergh wants to make a Star Wars film,” Driver said. “What are we debating? It’s what it is. It’s criminal. Or it felt criminal. We’re all moving on. On to the next. And Steven already has something else that’s one of the best things he’s ever written.”
We first learned about The Hunt for Ben Solo, a Skywalker Saga follow-up that explored a potential future for its title character, when Driver called it one of the “coolest scripts” he had “ever been a part of” late last year. Despite the hype, it never came to be, mostly because, according to Driver, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman “didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive.”
What followed was months of additional words from those who worked on the shuttered project, including Soderbergh, who called Disney’s decision to pull the plug after two-and-a-half years of work “insane.” Before long, fans orchestrated their own campaign to try and save the movie, but at least as far as August 2026, Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni has said that it’s not something the company is working on right now.
With so much work put into it, it’s been hard for many to see why Disney would shut down an impassioned pitch from a fan-favorite Star Wars actor. Driver himself still seems confused about the call to this day. The silver lining, though, was how dedicated fans chipped in to see his and Soderbergh’s ideas brought to life.
“I was blown away by the response to it,” Driver added. “In no way did I think there would be billboards in Times Square. It’s so moving. It did feel like we were all at the bar having a conversation about the films we wanted to see.”
For now, however, Driver is most likely hanging up his hilted lightsaber for good. He said as much during another interview earlier this month, though he’s still leaving the door open should Disney change its mind about The Hunt for Ben Solo. Soderbergh, who is currently helping out with The Batman Part 2, ruled out a return in April of this year.
Taika Waititi’s long-gestating Star Wars movie joined the Ben Solo film when it was officially put on ice last month. While Star Wars’ future has plenty of question marks to address, there are a few projects confirmed to launch in the next year alone. You can see IGN’s full breakdown for every movie and show in development here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
