Following Adam Driver's comments about the axed film The Hunt for Ben Solo, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who was set to direct the Star Wars project, has also spoken out. The director took to social media to offer some details about what happened behind the scenes, saying that this was "a first" for the beloved franchise.
"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!" Soderbergh wrote on Bluesky last week.
"Also, in the aftermath of the HFBS [The Hunt for Ben Solo] situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if LFL [Lucasfilm] had ever turned in a finished movie script for greenlight to Disney and had it rejected. She said no, this was a first," he recalled. Soderbergh didn't specify the reasons why Lucasfilm decided to shelve the movie, but Driver recently revealed that the Disney bosses weren't sure about one key detail.
"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 told AP news.
The fan reaction to the news has been quite passionate, with one fan even paying for an actual banner campaigning for the film's release that flew in the sky above Disney Studios in California with the hashtag #SaveTheHuntForBenSolo. Other fans have pointed out that multiple Star Wars characters have died and returned, such as Palpatine, so it wouldn't be all that crazy to bring Ben back.
Meanwhile, a cryptic post from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, director of the upcoming Rey movie, has fans thinking that maybe we haven't seen the last of Kylo Ren just yet.
Next up for Star Wars is Visions Volume 3, which arrives this October 29 on Disney Plus. Next year, the franchise finally returns to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver.
In the meantime, see everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.
