The Hunt For Ben Solo: Campaigner Reveals Why They’re Fighting For Adam Driver’s Star Wars Movie

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A key advocate for the canceled Lucasfilm movie, The Hunt for Ben Solo, has explained their involvement in the campaign to bring back Adam Driver’s popular Star Wars character. Driver’s announcement in October sparked a wave of support and brought together fans who often disagree.

According to reports, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, turned down a potential movie idea in 2021. The film would have continued the story of Kylo Ren and his path to redemption following the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and actor Adam Driver were both keen on the project, and it had been given the green light by Lucasfilm’s leadership team, including its President, Vice President, and Chief Creative Officer.

Many fans were upset by Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s death in The Rise of Skywalker. “It felt like a real letdown,” said B.D. Neagle, a teacher from the US, in an interview with Empire magazine (February 2026). After seeing online campaigns urging Disney to revisit The Hunt for Ben Solo following reports about Adam Driver’s role, Neagle decided to participate in the fan movement himself.

Neagle rented a billboard in New York’s Times Square because she felt she needed to make a statement, as she explained to the magazine. She wanted to demonstrate the fans’ enthusiasm for the movie, and it started with a simple question: ‘How much would a Times Square billboard cost?’

A billboard featured the message, “For Adam, ‘No One’s Ever Really Gone,’ Hope Lives, Ben Is Alive! #THBS,” referencing a famous line from Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The creator explained, “It didn’t cost much, and when I saw the plane stunt, I knew that was exactly what we needed to get attention and spread the word.”

Neagle believes Ben Solo is a compelling character with a strong connection to Star Wars fans. He praises Adam Driver’s performance, noting that even as a villain, Ben felt like a real, relatable person. Neagle is disappointed that we never got to see Ben’s full story and explore who he truly was after his turn to the light side, something a planned story arc, The Hunt for Ben Solo, would have likely addressed. He finds this lack of exploration particularly upsetting.

Even though the Star Wars sequel trilogy sparked a lot of disagreement – perhaps even more than the prequels, which were often criticized – author Neagle thinks his novel, The Hunt for Ben Solo, could bring together both devoted Star Wars fans and those who were disappointed with the sequels.

We often disagree with each other, and it’s hard to find common ground. But I’ve noticed even people who strongly disliked The Last Jedi are now supporting The Hunt for Ben Solo. We’re all united on that point, which is why I was so surprised when Disney decided against it, Neagle explained to Empire magazine.

Lucasfilm and Disney are continuing the stories begun in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, as evidenced by the upcoming Star Wars: New Jedi Order film, which focuses on Rey. Both New Jedi Order and another project from Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling, currently called Star Wars: Starfighter, will be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, delving into a previously unexplored period in the Star Wars universe.

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A story focusing on Ben Solo’s earlier years, titled something like The Hunt for Ben Solo, would be a great fit for this new approach to storytelling. While the Rise of Kylo Ren comic showed us flashbacks to his time with Luke Skywalker, those moments already involved the negative influence of Snoke and Palpatine. It would be fascinating to see what Ben Solo was like before the dark side began to control him.

“Hopefully, we’re actually having an impact,” Neagle explained, referencing the possibility of Driver following Ryan Reynolds’ lead with Deadpool – where fan support helped get the first movie made at Fox. She added that now that fans know about this project, they won’t be quiet. “Expect to see more creative efforts, like planes and billboards,” she said with a smile, jokingly adding, “I also happen to know someone at NASA.”

Good news for Star Wars fans! The franchise is coming back to theaters. Din Djarin and Grogu (from The Mandalorian) will appear in a movie on May 22, 2026, and a new film, Star Wars: Starfighter, is scheduled to be released on May 28, 2027.

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2025-12-20 18:51