Oscar-winning Director Steven Soderbergh Talks ‘Star Wars: The Hunt For Ben Solo’

Fans have recently rallied behind the return of Ben Solo, with the actor himself calling it “one of the coolest” scripts he has ever been part of

Late last year, news emerged from actor Adam Driver in an Associated Press interview that he and director Steven Soderbergh had been working on a secret Star Wars spin-off film project called The Hunt for Ben Solo, set years after The Rise of Skywalker.

The project, written by Scott Z. Burns based on a concept developed by Driver and Soderbergh, was reportedly greenlit and fully supported by Lucasfilm executives, including Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Cary Beck, but ultimately canceled by Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman because they did not believe how Ben Solo could still be alive.

SOMEONE FLEW A BANNER PLANE OVER DISNEY STUDIOS LMAOOO #TheHuntForBenSolo ✈️ ICONIC pic.twitter.com/Ot5aT59xyt

— taylor (@empressrey) October 23, 2025

The announcement from Driver ultimately led to a fan campaign to convince Disney to move forward with the shelved Star Wars project, engaging in high-profile stunts that included hiring planes to fly banners over Disney Studios, launching Times Square billboard ads, and organizing various petitions.

While the campaigns still continue to this day, more details surrounding the effort have slowly made their way to social media platforms, with the latest being that the Ben Solo movie had even reached an advanced stage of development, complete with a finalized script and a proposed filming budget. This latest
news has profoundly impacted fans, sparking a mix of intense frustration.

There have been some wide speculative predictions on social media as of late stating that since Disney has named a new CEO, they may reconsider this for a future announcement at an upcoming event such as D23 in 2026, though nothing has officially been confirmed.

Despite all that, Driver and director Soderbergh continues to speak openly about the failed project, with the latest news coming from none other than the Oscar-winner himself.

Soderbergh, out and about discussing his various upcoming projects, spoke with BKMAG, who brought up Kathleen Kennedy’s recent interview with Deadline in which the former president of Lucasfilm said it was no surprise” to read Kathleen Kennedy’s Lucasfilm exit interview and hear about her frustrations over Disney’s axing of “The Rise of Skywalker” follow-up movie, which would’ve brought Driver back as the fan-favorite Ben Solo.

According to Soderbergh, The Hunt for Ben Solo was the first Lucasfilm project with a completed script to be rejected by Disney.

We were all frustrated. You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and Rebecca Blunt. 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.

The director also revealed that after two and a half years of development work, Disney scrapped the project just before budget or production details were ever discussed. 

“I thought the conversation was strictly going to be a practical one—where they go, what is this going to cost?” he continued. “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.”

Inevitably, Soderbergh and Driver have moved onto other projects. With Driver having several dramas coming up, including the crime drama Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray. Soderberg also has been working on a film series for a cinema in Brooklyn, so he has been busy on several films, including The Christophers.

As for the Ben Solo project, which once operated under the codename “Quiet Leaves,” it is currently considered “permanently shelved” or “dead,” though the efforts of some Star Wars fans and those beautiful Reylo supporters out there continue to lobby for its revival.

For now, the upcoming theatrical slate is locked in with The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, both greenlit during Kennedy’s tenure.
Beyond Starfighter, which is currently dated for 2027, things get murkier. There are plenty of rumored projects floating around, including a trilogy from Simon Kinberg, reportedly centered on Rey. But nothing else has an official release date. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

May the Force be with you….