Adam Driver Says Disney Dropped His Star Wars Project With Steven Soderbergh
Adam Driver says Disney has dropped "The Hunt for Ben Solo," a Star Wars film he spent two and a half years developing with director Steven Soderbergh. Driver described the decision in an interview with the Associated Press, given during the press tour for his film "Paper Tiger." The account is his, as Variety reported it on 14 November 2026.
Driver said Disney executives pulled the plug because they could not make sense of the character returning. Ben Solo, the role Driver played as Kylo Ren, appeared to die at the end of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019. The new film was meant to bring him back.
Driver said he was surprised that Soderbergh's involvement alone did not make Disney eager to make the movie. "Steven Soderbergh wants to make a 'Star Wars' film. What are we debating?" he told the AP. Asked about the outcome, he said: "It's what it is. It's criminal. Or it felt criminal."
Driver first revealed that the project existed in an AP interview in October 2025. Its fate became public a year later, and Driver said the response from fans surprised him. He told the AP he was blown away by the reaction and had not expected billboards in Times Square.
Driver also said the door is closed on his time in the franchise. Speaking on "The Rich Eisen Show," he said his time playing Kylo Ren and Ben Solo is over. "The ship has sailed," he said.
For a general reader, the story is a small window into how big franchises get made. A star and a well-known director can spend years on a script, and the studio that owns the characters still has the final word on whether it is filmed. Disney's reasoning, in his telling, centred on the character's return after his on-screen death.
Driver is now promoting "Paper Tiger," and he has moved on to talking about that film. His comments on "The Hunt for Ben Solo" make clear that the Star Wars chapter he hoped to make will not happen, at least not with him in the lead.
