Adam Driver's Ben Solo Movie Had a Finished Script. Now His Star Wars Return Looks Over

Adam Driver says he does not expect to return to Star Wars, and that blunt update casts new light on one of Lucasfilm's more unusual near misses. The bigger surprise is not just that a Ben Solo movie was discussed, but that it reportedly reached the script stage before Disney turned it down.

The latest signal that Kylo Ren is done

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on November 4, Driver was asked whether he thought he would play Kylo Ren again. His answer was direct: he said it was over and that there would be no more Star Wars for him.

That comment matters because Driver had already spoken publicly about a proposed follow-up centered on Ben Solo, the character behind the Kylo Ren identity. In October 2025, he said he had spent two years developing that project. The film was called The Hunt for Ben Solo, and it would have continued the story after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which ended with Ben turning away from the dark side and sacrificing himself to save Rey, played by Daisy Ridley.

The project was not just a loose idea. Steven Soderbergh was set to direct, and Driver developed the screenplay with Soderbergh and writers Scott Z. Burns and Rebecca Blunt. By the time the pitch reached Lucasfilm, a completed script had been submitted. Driver has described that script as really good, while also making clear that the final decision did not belong to him.

Why a completed Ben Solo sequel still stalled

What makes this story stand out in the Star Wars world is how far it reportedly went before stopping. Lucasfilm has announced a number of movies in recent years, but several have run into delays, including projects linked to Patty Jenkins and Taika Waititi. The Hunt for Ben Solo appears to have moved beyond the earliest phase.

Even so, Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman reportedly rejected the proposal because they could not see how Ben Solo could still be alive after his apparent death in The Rise of Skywalker. That decision stopped the movie despite reported support within Lucasfilm's leadership.

The response from fans was unusually visible. Supporters bought billboards and arranged aerial advertisements over Disney's corporate offices in Burbank, California, calling on the company to reconsider. Driver later said that kind of backing was pretty incredible and acknowledged that he had not expected billboards and planes pushing for the movie's return.

Leadership changes did not improve the odds. Kathleen Kennedy stepped down as Lucasfilm president in January 2026, and Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan took over leadership roles. Josh D'Amaro then replaced Iger as Disney CEO in March. In April, Soderbergh said he had no plans to try reviving the project, and his view was simple: if it were going to happen, it would have happened. Filoni also addressed the fan campaign at D23 in August and indicated that the film was not part of Lucasfilm's plans.

Driver did leave a sliver of ambiguity when asked whether he would return if Disney changed its mind. He did not fully rule it out. Still, he added that he thought the ship had sailed.

What this means for Star Wars now

The end of The Hunt for Ben Solo lands at a moment when Star Wars is still trying to stabilize its big-screen future. Since The Rise of Skywalker closed the Skywalker Saga in 2019, Lucasfilm has struggled to keep a steady theatrical rhythm.

In May 2026, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu brought the franchise back to theaters after a seven-year gap. The movie earned about $345 million worldwide, which made it the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars film. The next theatrical release is Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone movie directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling. It is scheduled for May 28, 2027, is set about five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and introduces a completely new group of characters.

Lucasfilm is also developing a new trilogy written by Simon Kinberg, with Jon Watts reportedly attached to direct the first film. At the same time, Daisy Ridley's proposed return as Rey Skywalker remains in development, though it still has no confirmed release date. On the Disney+ side, season two of Ahsoka is due on January 20, 2027.

That wider picture helps explain why the abandoned Ben Solo film keeps attracting attention. It would have extended a character from the sequel trilogy at a time when Lucasfilm is also pushing into fresh territory. Some fans still believe Ben Solo could reappear elsewhere, including in a future Episode X, while others have argued that Star Wars has already brought back seemingly dead characters before, most notably Emperor Palpatine.

For now, though, Disney has made no public move suggesting that The Hunt for Ben Solo will be reconsidered. With its proposed director stepping away, Lucasfilm leadership signaling it is not in the plan, and Driver now saying his Star Wars time is over, the finished script that once existed looks like it will stay on the shelf.