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Rey star Daisy Ridley has revealed that she'd heard talk of canceled Star Wars movie The Hunt for Ben Solo before Adam Driver announced the news to the press – and she's been heartened by the positive fan response.
"I knew a piece of it. I heard rumblings," Ridley told IGN. "I have lots of friends who are crew, so things always travel like that. But, whoa! When the story came out, no, I was like, 'Oh, my God!' And it was him that said it, right? It was funny because, like, 'Oh, wow, Adam is saying it,' and that's the big surprise of the year."
Back in October, Kylo Ren star Driver revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh had been working on a new movie about Ben Solo since 2021, with Scott Z. Burns (who wrote Soderbergh's pandemic drama Contagion) writing a script for the project. Although Lucasfilm reportedly loved the idea, Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman weren't convinced as they "didn't see how Ben Solo was alive" after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
Fans didn't want to take no for an answer, however, and rallied to try to get the movie made in a campaign that included flying a #SaveTheHuntForBenSolo banner over Disney Studios in California.
"I do love when there is a collective of positivity. The way the internet seems to have rallied to try and get it to happen," Ridley continued. "I think it's fantastic for us all. It's good for us to all be united about something in a really positive way. Obviously, everyone knows he was a very popular character, but it was also lovely to think, 'Wow, people really, really care and want this.' I just... I like it. I like when people join forces – excuse the pun – from all around the world, all different sorts of people."
She added, "I just love that the Star Wars fandom is such a huge and gorgeous array of different points of view and different people, and the fact that everyone is really behind this thing, I think, is just sort of lovely, in a time that is so fucking nuts for probably every single person on this Earth. I think it's wonderful. So I was surprised, and honestly, I felt joyful about how it went down."
Next up from the galaxy far, far away is The Mandalorian and Grogu, which arrives in theaters on May 22, 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming Star Wars movies and shows on the way.
