Adam Driver Reveals Secret Star Wars Project He Was Developing

Adam Driver has revealed that he once tried to bring Kylo Ren back to the Star Wars universe through a project called The Hunt for Ben Solo.

The actor, known for playing the conflicted villain in the sequel trilogy, shared that he had been developing the idea with director Steven Soderbergh and writer Rebecca Blunt.

Driver said he had been open to returning to the franchise ever since 2021. “I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I always said: With a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”

The concept, according to Driver, would have explored what happened after The Rise of Skywalker, the 2019 film that showed Kylo Ren’s redemption and apparent death.

He explained that he had originally imagined a different ending for his character, one that didn’t fully happen in the trilogy. Feeling there was more story to tell, he approached Soderbergh with the idea of a film that focused on Ben Solo’s survival and redemption.

Soderbergh and Blunt helped shape the story before presenting it to Lucasfilm executives, including president Kathleen Kennedy, vice president Cary Beck, and creative chief Dave Filoni. They liked the idea, and writer Scott Z. Burns was brought in to write the script.

Driver described the script as something he was proud of. “It was one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of,” he said. “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it.”

But the project came to an end when Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman declined to move forward. “They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive,” Driver said. “And that was that.”

He added, “It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ and it was really cool. But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”

Soderbergh later commented, saying, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”

The news comes at a time when Star Wars is undergoing major changes. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is expected to step down later this year.

Meanwhile, several new Star Wars films are in development, including Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, Shawn Levy’s Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling, a project by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy featuring Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey, a James Mangold film, and a new saga directed by Simon Kinberg.