New Details on Driver’s Star Wars Sequel Revealed

Adam Driver has opened up earlier this week about a Star Wars project that never happened, a movie called The Hunt for Ben Solo. The actor said he once tried to bring Kylo Ren back to the big screen with director Steven Soderbergh and writer Rebecca Blunt.

Driver, who played the troubled villain in the sequel trilogy, said he had always been open to returning to the galaxy far, far away.

“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.”

According to Driver, the movie would have picked up after The Rise of Skywalker and explored what might have happened if Ben Solo had survived. He had imagined a different ending for his character and felt there was more story to tell.

That idea led him to Soderbergh, who helped him develop it into a full project with Blunt, who is known for writing Logan Lucky.

The trio eventually took the idea to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, along with Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck. They liked what they saw and brought in screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, best known for Contagion, to write the script. Burns had worked on Star Wars before, doing uncredited writing on Rogue One.

Driver said the result was something special. “It was one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of,” he said. Lucasfilm approved the story, which was being developed under the codename Quiet Leaves.

It was close to starting preproduction, with Disney even paying for a full script and treatment. Burns was reportedly paid more than any other screenwriter in Lucasfilm history for his work.

Sources told The Playlist and other outlets that Lucasfilm was enthusiastic about the film. Kennedy and the creative team waited until the project was almost ready to shoot before taking it to Disney for final approval. That’s when things changed.

Executives at Disney, including Bob Iger and Sean Bailey, hesitated to move forward. Their main issue was figuring out how Ben Solo could still be alive after The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm insiders were surprised by the hesitation, believing the story had a logical explanation.

Some close to the production told reporters they thought the decision not to move forward might have been influenced by Disney’s internal politics rather than creative reasons.

The situation reportedly caused tension within the company. Bergman, who was part of the decision, was criticized for how he handled several projects, which some say hurt his position in Disney’s leadership lineup. Meanwhile, other executives like Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden became stronger candidates for top roles.

Despite the enthusiasm from Lucasfilm, The Hunt for Ben Solo never made it past development. Driver and Soderbergh were never paid for their time, though Burns received a seven-figure payment for finishing the screenplay.

Earlier this year, the project’s existence became clearer when Lucasfilm designer Bobby McKenna mentioned online that he had worked on something called Quiet Leaves, describing it as a “design sprint”, part of early preproduction. The name hinted at the film’s focus: Ben Solo’s survival and the mystery of his disappearance after his redemption.

Fans have wondered if Driver brought up the project recently to pressure Disney into reconsidering it, but people close to him and Soderbergh say that’s not the case. Both believe the film is gone for good. Since it’s officially considered dead, they are now free to talk about it publicly for the first time.

It’s a shame that The Hunt for Ben Solo never happened. A story about Ben’s survival could have given Star Wars fans a deeper look into redemption and legacy, especially with a creative team like Soderbergh and Burns involved. Driver clearly cared about the character and wanted to explore him more. Maybe one day Lucasfilm will revisit that idea, but for now, this is one Star Wars tale that will stay untold.

What do you think? Would you have wanted to see The Hunt for Ben Solo come to life? Share your thoughts in the comments.