Adam Driver’s “Hunt For Ben Solo” Story Is A Massive Missed Opportunity For Star Wars

by

The news that Disney turned down Adam Driver’s idea for a movie focusing on his character, Ben Solo, caused a huge uproar among Star Wars fans. Many believe this was a big mistake for the franchise, particularly as Lucasfilm is planning a return to theatrical releases.

Adam Driver portrayed Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren, a key character in Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. As the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, Ben was drawn to the dark side, ultimately destroying Luke Skywalker’s Jedi school and becoming a follower of Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order.

Even though the story concluded with Ben Solo’s heroic death and return to the side of good, actor Adam Driver apparently hoped to continue playing the character in his own Star Wars series.

Adam Driver Wanted To Come Back To Star Wars… & He Had A Pitch

Adam Driver recently told Jake Coyle of The Associated Press that a potential project had been in development for two years with the backing of Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni. They brought in director Steven Soderbergh, known for films like Ocean’s Eleven and Erin Brockovich, and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, who worked on The Bourne Ultimatum and Contagion, to help bring it to life.

It seems a planned continuation of Ben Solo’s story, titled The Hunt For Ben Solo, was considered after The Rise of Skywalker. Adam Driver believed there were still unanswered questions about Ben’s journey and his path to redemption, and many fans would likely agree.

Despite the idea being presented, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman quickly rejected it. They were unwilling to move forward because Ben Solo sacrificed himself to save Rey Skywalker in the final moments of Episode IX.

Adam Driver’s Ben Solo Deserved To Return

Out of all the sequel trilogy characters, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo had the most untapped potential by far.

As a fan, I was deeply moved when Ben Solo sacrificed himself to save Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. It felt like a powerful moment of redemption for him. But honestly, it also felt a little too quick. I wish we’d had more time to see him truly grapple with his past and actively work towards being a better person, and to see what a life after turning away from the darkness would have looked like for him. He deserved a longer journey to fully earn that redemption.

Many fans felt Ben’s story deserved its own unique path, instead of repeating elements of his grandfather’s. They believed he should have been allowed to experience the positive changes he’d earned, similar to how Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader ultimately found redemption.

Ben Solo deserved the chance to grow into the person his parents knew he could be, carrying on their positive influence instead of repeating the mistakes of Darth Vader.

Delving deeper into Ben Solo’s life before he became Kylo Ren might have addressed a major weakness of the sequel trilogy – its difficulty in blending familiar elements with new ideas. Showing Ben’s journey after finding redemption, and how he and Rey could forge a new path for the Jedi and a different kind of balance in the Force, would have been a compelling way to do that.

It seems strange that the decision to cancel a potential spin-off series focused on Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) hinged on the writers’ difficulty with his character’s death. He was consistently a standout performer throughout the sequel trilogy, and a spin-off could have been very exciting for fans.

Let’s face it, this is Star Wars. Bringing characters back from the dead is a common trope, and the rules around life and death are already pretty flexible, especially on the planet where Ben Solo died, Exegol.

I’ve always been fascinated by the connection between Ben Solo and Rey. Their dyad in the Force was something truly special, giving them both incredible powers that seemed to go beyond the normal limits of time and space. Honestly, I never understood why his death would stop them from making a spin-off movie – it absolutely shouldn’t have been a reason to abandon the project!

It Looks Like Ben Solo ISN’T Coming Back

Unfortunately, all signs are sadly pointing to Star Wars leaving Ben Solo behind.

Looking at Lucasfilm’s future film plans, a spin-off centered on Ben Solo doesn’t seem likely. The next movie will follow Rey Skywalker as she tries to rebuild the Jedi Order after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, but there’s been no mention of Ben Solo making an appearance, even as a Force ghost.

Lucasfilm has several other films in development, including The Mandalorian & Grogu planned for 2026. Shawn Levy is directing Star Wars: Starfighter in 2027, which will feature a new generation of characters following the sequel trilogy. James Mangold is also working on Dawn of the Jedi, a film set in the distant past of the Star Wars universe.

Despite this, there’s a lot of interest in a story focused on Ben Solo. Ever since the news came out, Star Wars fans online have been very upset about Disney’s decision and are asking Lucasfilm to reconsider the project.

Could this be a turning point for Adam Driver, similar to how Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool test footage leaked and eventually got the movie made, despite initial rejection from Fox? We’re definitely hoping so, because Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is still one of the most beloved characters from the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Read More

2025-10-22 04:09