Controversial Star Wars Director Supports Online Campaign To Save Cancelled Kylo Ren Movie

Director Rian Johnson has publicly backed the idea of a Kylo Ren-focused movie, following recent news about a proposed film. Actor Adam Driver shared last month that he and director Steven Soderbergh developed a pitch for a movie called The Hunt for Ben Solo, but Disney decided not to move forward with the project, despite continued fan interest.

Despite previous obstacles, fans are still eager to see a continuation of the story focusing on Ben Solo. Rian Johnson, the director of the controversial Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), recently shared with Collider that he’s now open to the possibility.

The filmmaker admits he wasn’t involved in creating the movie, but enthusiastically voiced his support for it, jokingly offering to fund the project with the phrase: “Take my money!” You can read his complete statement below.

I’m completely on board with this, even though I’m going in blind – I’ve only read about it online. It’s hard to know what goes on behind the scenes with these things nowadays. But honestly, I’ll watch Ryan Gosling in anything, and I’d be thrilled if he reprised this role.

In an October interview with The Associated Press, Adam Driver shared his thoughts on The Hunt for Ben Solo. He explained that he’d been hoping to return to Star Wars since 2021. According to Driver, Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, had contacted him, and he was open to the idea if the director and story were compelling. He added that he really enjoyed playing the character and would have been happy to reprise the role.

Adam Driver collaborated with director Steven Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt to develop the film’s story. Scott Z. Burns was then brought on to write the script, which Driver called one of the most impressive he’d ever seen.

As Adam Driver recounts, Lucasfilm initially liked the concept for The Hunt for Ben Solo. However, when Driver, director Steven Soderbergh, and Emily Blunt presented their idea to Disney CEO Bob Iger, it didn’t move forward.

We shared our script with Lucasfilm, and they were enthusiastic about the concept, fully grasping our creative vision. However, when we presented it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, they rejected it. Their main concern was the idea that Ben Solo was still alive, and unfortunately, that ended the discussion.

Originally, there were plans to continue the story after The Rise of Skywalker (2019) with a storyline focused on finding Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren. This would have followed his memorable death saving Rey. While Disney CEO Bob Iger might not have wanted to bring Kylo back to life, similar resurrections have happened before in Star Wars.

Characters dying and then returning to life has happened many times in Star Wars, with Darth Maul and Emperor Palpatine being prime examples. However, the way Palpatine came back in The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t well-received by most fans, and it’s possible that Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy took this into account.

With the anticipated 2026 release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, fans are showing strong support for the unreleased film The Hunt for Ben Solo. A dedicated fan campaign has sprung up to try and get the film released, and it’s gained attention through impressive efforts like a Times Square billboard and a banner flown over Disney Studios in Burbank, California, urging Disney to “Save The Hunt For Ben Solo.”

Whether this campaign will revive the cancelled Star Wars project is still uncertain, but director Johnson’s backing is definitely a positive step. If The Hunt for Ben Solo is ever made, it looks like Johnson would be among the first to watch it in theaters.

2025-11-12 22:50

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