For a franchise built on legacy, redemption, and shocking returns, it is fitting that one of the most intriguing unrealized Star Wars projects refuses to disappear quietly. The Hunt for Ben Solo, a proposed sequel centered on Kylo Ren after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, may have been rejected once, but new comments and behind the scenes details suggest the idea is far from buried.
And according to Adam Driver, it was one of the most exciting scripts he had ever read.
Adam Driver’s Secret Sequel Plan
Following the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, Driver quietly began developing a continuation of Ben Solo’s story. Teaming with director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns, the pitch reportedly explored how Ben might have survived and what redemption would actually look like beyond a final act sacrifice.
Driver has since spoken openly about his passion for the project.
“It was one of the coolest scripts I’ve ever been involved with,” Driver said when discussing the shelved film. “It wasn’t about undoing anything. It was about consequence. It asked what redemption really costs.”
That thematic focus is what reportedly convinced key creatives at Lucasfilm to support the idea. The story was not meant to be a simple resurrection twist. Instead, it would have leaned into the spiritual mythology of Star Wars and the idea that the Force does not operate within normal rules of life and death.
Driver also noted that the film was deeply character driven. “Ben was never meant to be simple,” he explained. “There was always more there. We wanted to explore that in a way that felt earned.”
Adam Driver, as Kylo Ren The Force Awakens [credit: Disney Pictures]
Why Disney Said No
Despite creative enthusiasm, the pitch ultimately stalled at the executive level. When presented to leadership at Disney, including CEO Bob Iger and co chairman Alan Bergman, concerns reportedly centered on the plausibility of Ben Solo surviving his apparent death.
From a corporate standpoint, the Skywalker Saga had concluded. Reopening it carried financial and narrative risk. Driver has acknowledged that hesitation without bitterness.
“I understand why people were cautious,” he said. “But Star Wars has always been about taking big swings.”
He is not wrong. The franchise has revived characters before, often in far more controversial ways. For many fans, Ben Solo’s survival would have felt thematically aligned with the saga’s long history of redemption arcs and Force mysticism.
Why The Story Still Has Life
More recently, comments from Kathleen Kennedy have added fuel to speculation that previously shelved ideas are not permanently off the table. Kennedy has emphasized that Lucasfilm continues to revisit concepts depending on timing and creative direction.
That matters. The Star Wars franchise is currently in a period of recalibration, with new films and series reshaping its future. In that context, a character driven story about Ben Solo seeking atonement could fit naturally into a broader thematic revival.
Driver himself has not closed the door.
“I don’t think that story is finished,” he said. “Whether it’s this version or something else, I think there’s still something powerful there.”
For now, The Hunt for Ben Solo remains a fascinating what if. But in a galaxy where no one is ever truly gone, the idea of Ben Solo returning one more time feels less like fantasy and more like unfinished business.
