Steven Soderbergh Shuts Down Hope For His Scrapped Ben Solo STAR WARS Movie: “If It Was Gonna Happen, It Would Have Happened”
There was a moment when a new Star Wars story centered on Ben Solo almost became a reality. It had a finished script, a passionate creative team, and even the return of Adam Driver lined up.
But now, director Steven Soderbergh has made it clear that the project is officially dead, no matter who’s running Disney or Lucasfilm today.
The film, titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, was designed as a continuation of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, focusing on the redeemed son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. According to reports, Lucasfilm was fully on board and excited about the direction of the story. The problem came from higher up the ladder.
At the time, Disney leadership including Bob Iger and Alan Bergman weren’t sold on the concept. The sticking point was simple but apparently insurmountable: they couldn’t get past the idea that Ben Solo could still be alive after his apparent death in The Rise of Skywalker. And just like that, the project was shut down despite having a completed screenplay.
With new leadership now in place, including Josh D'Amaro and Lucasfilm co-presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, some fans held onto hope that Soderbergh might circle back. That hope didn’t last long.
“Nope,” Soderbergh told The Playlist when asked if he’d reconsider returning.
Still, he doesn’t sound bitter about the experience. In fact, he seems to value the time spent developing the project.
"I don't regret one minute of the time we spent working on that," he reflected. "I felt the work was good. It's just good for you to be in that room and working on it. It's like CrossFit – it's good for you. It'll have a residual effect that will be unexpected at some point."
Once it became clear the movie wasn’t moving forward, Soderbergh didn’t dwell on it. He said: "As soon as it became apparent, OK, not gonna happen, I sat down and started writing [something else].
"It's like, 'OK, new scenario, let's get cracking.' At a certain point, it’s like complaining about the weather. You just gotta keep moving."
And if anyone is still holding out hope for a revival, Soderbergh had a pretty blunt reality check: "Look, if it was gonna happen, it would have happened," he added. "It's that simple."
He’s previously opened up about just how much effort went into the film before it fell apart, revealing that frustration was shared across the board.
“No, it was no surprise that she was frustrated. We were all frustrated. You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam [Driver], and Rebecca Blunt,” he said.
“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. And as I posted, I’d kind of made the movie in my head, and just felt bad that nobody else was going to get to see it. I thought the conversation 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.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow for fans who wanted to see this movie get made, especially with Driver ready to return. But in true Soderbergh fashion, he’s already onto the next thing.
Meanwhile, the galaxy far, far away keeps expanding. Up next is The Mandalorian and Grogu, continuing the story that’s been a major win for Disney+, alongside Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, which is currently rolling out weekly.
As for The Hunt for Ben Solo, it sounds like it’ll remain one of those fascinating “what could have been” chapters in Star Wars history.