Image: Lucasfilm
Sorry, Ben Solo fans. It looks like Adam Driver is officially ready to leave that galaxy far, far away behind. The actor has shared a disappointing update on his potential Star Wars return, revealing that the ship has sailed on reprising his role as Kylo Ren.
During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Driver was asked whether fans could ever expect to see him back in the franchise. His response was pretty definitive.
“Yeah. It's over,” he said. “No more Star Wars.”
The news comes after Disney rejected “The Hunt for Ben Solo”, a proposed standalone film that Driver developed with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. The project would have picked up after the events of 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, giving fans another chapter in Ben Solo's story. And this wasn't just a far-fetched fan idea. Driver revealed that the creative team spent two years developing the movie, working alongside screenwriters Scott Burns and Rebecca Blunt to put together a script he described as “really good.”
“We worked on it for a few years, really and earnestly for two years,” Driver explained. “It was really cool, but I don't get to decide.” While Lucasfilm reportedly loved the concept and understood the creative team's vision, Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman ultimately passed. “They didn't see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that,” Driver previously shared.
Image: Lucasfilm
Unsurprisingly, fans weren't ready to let the idea go. Support for The Hunt for Ben Solo included billboards and even planes flying over Disney in an effort to convince the studio to reconsider. Driver admitted he was blown away by the response.
“The fans' response to it, though, was pretty incredible,” he said. “That was pretty cool.” So, could the project ever get another shot? Driver isn't ruling it out entirely, but he's not exactly optimistic. “If they wanted to, fine. But it's not our call,” he said. “I think the ship has sailed, though.”
Driver played Kylo Ren throughout Disney's sequel trilogy, beginning with 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and concluding with The Rise of Skywalker. While Ben Solo's story seemingly reached its end, the proposed movie could have given fans a chance to explore what came next.
For now, though, it seems we'll have to say goodbye to the possibility of another Kylo Ren appearance. But if you’re an Adam Driver fan, the Oscar-nominated actor has plenty keeping him busy. Up next, he'll star alongside Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller in Paper Tiger, arriving in theaters November 13. He's also expected to work on Michael Mann's Heat 2 and will play Mister Sinister in the Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
Still, a Steven Soderbergh-directed Star Wars movie starring Adam Driver? We can't help wishing this one had made it out of development.
Keep going to watch Adam Driver's full interview on The Rich Eisen Show below!
