Adam Driver Calls Disney's Cancellation of 'The Hunt for Ben Solo' Criminal

Adam Driver is once again voicing frustration with Disney over its decision to shelve "The Hunt for Ben Solo," the Star Wars sequel film he spent two and a half years developing alongside director Steven Soderbergh. Speaking with The Associated Press while promoting his new movie "Paper Tiger," the Oscar nominee said he was surprised that Soderbergh's involvement alone was not enough to get the studio on board.

"For me it was: Steven Soderbergh wants to make a 'Star Wars' film. What are we debating?" Driver said. "It's what it is. It's criminal. Or it felt criminal. We're all moving on. On to the next. And Steven already has something else that's one of the best things he's ever written."

Driver first revealed the project's existence in an October 2025 interview with the AP. He explained then that Disney executives pulled the plug because they could not wrap their heads around the idea of Ben Solo returning after the character presumably died in 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

"I always was interested in doing another 'Star Wars,'" Driver said at the time. "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."

News of the scrapped film immediately galvanized Star Wars fans on social media, who began calling for Disney to reverse course and revive the project. One group of fans even paid for a plane to fly a banner reading "Save 'The Hunt for Ben Solo'" over Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Daisy Ridley, who starred opposite Driver as Rey in the sequel trilogy, also praised fans for rallying behind the film.

Driver told the AP in his latest interview that the outpouring caught him off guard. "I was blown away by the response to it," he said. "In no way did I think there would be billboards in Times Square. It's so moving. It did feel like we were all at the bar having a conversation about the films we wanted to see."

Despite the fan campaign, Driver has made clear that the chapter is closed. Earlier in his "Paper Tiger" press tour, he told "The Rich Eisen Show" that his time playing Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, is officially over now that the film is dead. "If they wanted to, fine. But we're not .. It's not our call. I think the ship has sailed though," he said.

For now, both Driver and Soderbergh appear to have turned their attention elsewhere, even as fans continue to mourn the Star Wars movie that never was.