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Last year, Adam Driver revealed that Disney had turned down his idea for a Star Wars movie focusing on Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, and a new reveal has made that canceled movie even more of a mistake. In 2025, Adam Driver revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh were trying to make a movie titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. It would have been a sequel to The Rise of Skywalker that revealed Driver's character was still alive and that Rey and company would have had to rescue him from his fate.
Driver and Soderbergh reportedly pitched the movie for years and even got support from Lucasfilm, but Disney ultimately passed on The Hunt for Ben Solo. After Driver revealed the plans for the movie, many Star Wars fans took to the internet to voice their support and even signed a sizable petition to convince Disney to greenlight the movie. None of those efforts ever amounted to anything, however, and The Hunt for Ben Solo will likely never happen at this point.
Disney's decision to pass on The Hunt for Ben Solo was already a major mistake. Kylo Ren was easily the most widely beloved character in the sequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, and fans clearly still want to see him in new films. Having not only Adam Driver but also Steven Soderbergh, who directed major hits like Ocean's Eleven and Erin Brockovich, on board also seemed like a recipe for success.
The Hunt for Ben Solo also would have given the franchise a chance to push forward in the Star Wars timeline for the first time since The Rise of Skywalker. On top of that, it would have undone one of Episode IX's worst decisions by bringing Ben Solo back. There was so much to be excited for with The Hunt for Ben Solo and so many reasons to be disappointed that Disney canceled it. Now, however, it's even more disappointing than ever before.
Adam Driver Turned Down Multiple MCU Roles But Was Still Willing To Return To Star Wars For The Hunt For Ben Solo
In a recent interview for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that he's offered several different roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Adam Driver over the years, and Driver has turned them all down (via Variety). Feige went as far as to say that Driver turns the MCU down so often that it's a "long-lived tradition" to offer him a part only for him to refuse.
Feige didn't reveal exactly which characters Driver could have played over the years, but it's safe to assume he would have had a major role as either a superhero or villain. As interesting as it is that Adam Driver has refused to be part of the MCU several times, it has bigger implications for Star Wars. For at least four years, from 2021 to 2025, Driver was actively trying to get The Hunt for Ben Solo made even when he had countless offers to join another very lucrative franchise.
In essence, Driver chose the slim chance of making The Hunt for Ben Solo over a guaranteed payday in a superhero movie. He was obviously making other movies at the same time, and there's a very good chance that he simply doesn't want to be part of the MCU, but Driver never even entertained Marvel while actively advocating for Star Wars. Feige's revelation is proof that Driver truly enjoyed his time starring in Star Wars and was completely invested in the character of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
Adam Driver's Passion For Ben Solo Could Have Made One Of Disney's Best Star Wars Movies
The fact that Adam Driver chose The Hunt for Ben Solo over the Marvel Cinematic Universe on several occasions is just another disappointing detail about the Star Wars movie that was never made. Driver clearly has so much passion for Ben Solo and Star Wars at large. He's gone on the record to say that he would return to Star Wars "in a second" with the right story and director (via AP). He even chose Ben Solo over a potentially multi-million dollar deal with the MCU.
Adam Driver's passion for Ben Solo could have made The Hunt for Ben Solo one of the best Star Wars movies Disney has ever made. He knows this character inside and out, he got one of the best directors in Hollywood to work with him on it, and he clearly thought highly enough of what they had to advocate for it for four years while also turning down major roles in the MCU. If Driver believed in it that much, I'm willing to place a bet that The Hunt for Ben Solo would have been something special.
Driver's passion also would have been exactly what Star Wars needs to get itself out of this multi-year funk it has been in. So many of the franchise's recent installments have played it too safe, like The Mandalorian and Grogu and The Rise of Skywalker, and it results in poor performances with critics and audiences alike. Believing in someone like Driver, who is deeply invested in this franchise and willing to take some big risks, could have brought Star Wars back. Unfortunately, The Hunt for Ben Solo no longer has the chance to do that.
