Steven Soderbergh Talks Rejected ‘Star Wars: The Hunt for Ben Solo’ Script As Fans Campaign Disney
As fans campaign for a Star Wars project that never materialized, Steven Soderbergh is finally able to discuss his script.
The 5x Oscar winner said it “was a first” for Disney to reject his completed script for The Hunt for Ben Solo, after Adam Driver revealed it was “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”
“For the record, I did not enjoy lying about the existence of THE HUNT FOR BEN SOLO, but it really did need to remain a secret…until now!” wrote Soderbergh this week on Bluesky.
“Also, in the aftermath of the HFBS situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if LFL had ever turned in a finished movie script for greenlight to Disney and had it rejected,” he later posted. “She said no, this was a first.”
Previously, Soderbergh said in a statement to the Associated Press, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
The son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, as well as the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, Ben (Driver) appeared in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as the villainous Kylo Ren. Although the character has a redemption arc before his death in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Driver felt Ben had unfinished business.
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea,” he told the AP. “They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it. We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
The actor added, “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”
Fans didn’t take Disney’s rejection lying down, campaigning for the sequel this week with a plane flown above Walt Disney Studios with a banner reading “SAVE #THEHUNTFORBENSOLO.”
