Adam Driver’s time in Star Wars playing Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren, continues to be memorable. Kylo Ren’s struggle to battle against his own legacy as the grandson of Darth Vader, as well as the manipulations of the people around him, namely Supreme Leader Snoke, was fascinating to watch. By the end of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, Ren had chosen to turn his back on the dark side, saving Daisy Ridley’s Rey in the process, at the cost of his own life.
You would have thought that would be the end of Kylo Ren’s journey. But, as it turns out, that wasn’t the case. And no, we’re not talking about how he’s now got his own comic series.
Speaking to AP, Driver recalled how he had always been interested in doing another Star Wars film. “I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I always said: With a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”
Driver loved the character so much that he took a concept to Contagion and Black Bag director Steven Soderbergh for a film that would take place after The Rise of Skywalker. Already, you might be scratching your head a little: didn’t Kylo Ren die in that film? Yes, but if there’s one thing you should take away from Star Wars, it’s that anyone can be brought back. Look at Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul. One’s a Force Ghost in Ahsoka, and the other has been cut in half and still managed to get around in The Clone Wars animated series on pure hatred alone. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question for Kylo Ren to come back.
More importantly, Driver, Soderbergh, and screenwriter Rebecca Blunt felt that there was more for Kylo Ren to give. They outlined a story, took it to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, vice president Cary Beck, and chief creative officer Dave Filoni. The three were interested, and even brought in Scott Z. Burns, known for his work on Contagion and Bourne Ultimatum, to write a script. According to Driver, the script was “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”
Yet while Lucasfilm loved the idea, the project fell apart the moment they took it to Disney.
“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,” Driver told AP. “It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ and it was really cool. But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”
Soderbergh, in a statement, said: “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
A disappointing ending for Star Wars fans eager to see more Kylo Ren, or anything else happening after the sequel trilogy. They may get their fix in 2027 with Shawn Levy’s Starfighter, but for Kylo Ren aficionados, this news is bittersweet.
