Adam Driver Says Losing His Scrapped ‘Star Wars’ Movie Felt Criminal

When Kylo Ren fell in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, most fans assumed the character’s story was finished. Adam Driver, who played the role across three films, apparently disagreed. He debuted as Kylo Ren in ‘The Force Awakens’ in 2015, then returned in ‘The Last Jedi’ and ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.

The actor’s secret attempt to continue that story became one of the biggest ‘Star Wars’ surprises in recent memory. On October 20, 2025, Driver revealed that Disney had rejected a proposed film that would have revived Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren. The project was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’, and it never made it past the executive suite.

Now Driver has spoken again about the cancellation, and his tone is blunt. In a new interview with the Associated Press, he said the decision felt criminal. He added that the team has since moved on, and explained that his own reaction was simple: Steven Soderbergh wanted to make a ‘Star Wars’ film, so what was there to debate?

The film was not just a pitch on a napkin. Driver said he spent two years developing the project alongside director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Rebecca Blunt. Scott Z. Burns later joined to write the script.

Reports suggested the film was close to being a reality. Soderbergh revealed it was the first time Disney rejected a completed script for the franchise. The Playlist reported that Lucasfilm waited until the project was ready to shoot before presenting it to the top executives.

According to Driver’s original account, they took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, who said no because they didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. That explanation made the cancellation sting even more for fans, since ‘Star Wars’ has a long history of bringing characters back.

Soderbergh has been open about his frustration. He told BK Mag that the project meant two-and-a-half years of free work for him, Driver and Blunt. Soderbergh has also said he was very disappointed by the decision.

There were financial details too. The Playlist reported that Burns was paid more than any screenwriter in Lucasfilm history to complete the screenplay, while Soderbergh and Driver were never compensated for their work. Those claims came from reporting rather than from a studio statement.

For Driver, that history helps explain the word he chose. A script described as one of the coolest he had ever been part of, a director he trusted and a franchise he has a history with all came together, only to be shut down. It is easy to see why the experience would feel unjust.

The reaction from the audience was loud. A group of ‘Star Wars’ fans funded a plane to fly a “Save ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo'” banner over Disney’s Burbank studio. Supporters also bought a billboard in New York City’s Times Square demanding that the film be greenlit.

Driver was surprised by the scale of that response. In a separate interview on The Rich Eisen Show on November 4, he said the project was over and that the team had tried to make one more film but was told the character was dead. He also said he thinks the ship has sailed on his return.

Lucasfilm is moving ahead with other projects. ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ was released on May 22, 2026, and ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is in production for a May 28, 2027 release. Neither involves Kylo Ren.

Even so, the character is not completely absent. Marvel Comics’ new series ‘Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren’, written by Charles Soule, arrived in comic shops on August 12, 2026. That is not the big-screen return many fans wanted, but it shows the character still has pull.

For now, Driver’s comments make the situation clear: the film is not happening, and the people behind it are at peace with moving on, even if they still think the decision was wrong. Whether Lucasfilm ever revisits the idea is unknown. What is certain is that fans are still talking about the movie that never was.

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