Adam Driver made his “Star Wars” debut starring as Kylo Ren in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” He then appeared as the character in two more films, with the latest being “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” After that, he and director Steven Soderbergh began developing a new film, but in an interview, Driver gave an unfortunate update.
Adam Driver Says He and Steven Soderbergh Worked Hard on The Scrapped Kylo Ren ‘Star Wars’ Film
Driver appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” in November 2026. During the interview, the driver mentioned the planned Kylo Ren “Star Wars” film, “The Hunt for Ben Solo,” and revealed it was no longer in development.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s over,” he began. “No more ‘Star Wars.’ We tried, we tried to do one more. Yeah, but they were like, no, he’s dead.” After that, Driver stated that he and Soderbergh worked on the movie “for a few years” after the famed character died in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Regarding how much they worked on the planned film, Driver explained, “Really and earnestly, for two years. We got a script together that was really good, with Scott Burns and Rebecca Blunt. We all worked on it. It was awesome. It was really cool.”
“If they wanted to [revive it], fine, but it’s not our call. I think the ship has sailed, though,” he continued, reflecting on the possibility of the character returning in some capacity.
Adam Driver Has Been Vocal About The Film Over the Years
Driver told The Associated Press that the idea for the now-scrapped “Star Wars” film came after Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy approached him. At the time, he told her he would be open to returning depending on the director and the story.
From there, they developed the idea and pitched it to Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Carrie Beck. Per The Playlist, the movie was approved internally with the working title “Quiet Leaves.”
However, in October 2025, Driver told The Associated Press that the movie had been rejected because the executives were unclear about how the character would be alive following the events of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
“We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that,” he said.
“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,” Driver added.
Soderbergh released a statement to the outlet about the film. He said, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.” Additionally, Soderbergh spoke about the movie in a February 2026 interview with Brooklyn Magazine.
“We were all frustrated,” the director began. “You know, that was two-and-a-half years of free work for me and Adam and [screenwriter] 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,” he explained.
Adam Driver Gives Unfortunate ‘Star Wars’ Update – ‘We Tried’