Adam Driver gives bleak update on Kylo Ren's ‘Star Wars’ return: ‘We tried to...’
Across three ‘Star Wars’ films, Ben Solo struggled between the light and dark sides as Kylo Ren, only to die shortly after finding his way back to the light. For fans who wanted more time with the man behind Kylo Ren’s mask, that was a difficult place to leave him. Adam Driver felt there was more to explore, too, and worked on a film that would bring him back. Now, though, the actor believes the opportunity to revisit the character has passed.
During his November 4 appearance on ‘The Rich Eisen Show,’ Driver was asked whether he would return to the franchise. “It’s over,” he said. “No more ‘Star Wars.’ We tried.” He was referring to ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo,’ the film he developed with director Steven Soderbergh before Disney turned it down. “We tried to do one more, yeah, but they were like, ‘No, he’s dead,’” Driver explained.
That, of course, was where ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ left Ben in 2019. After turning away from the dark side, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa helped Rey and ultimately gave his life to save hers. His redemption brought his story to a close, but it also left viewers with very little time to get to know him as Ben again. The proposed film would have continued Ben Solo’s story after ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ giving Driver another chance to explore the character beyond his time as Kylo Ren.
This was more than an idea discussed and set aside. Driver said the team worked on it “really and earnestly for two years,” putting together a script he called “really good.” Alongside Driver and Soderbergh, the collaborators included Scott Z. Burns and Jules Asner, writing under the name Rebecca Blunt. The project was brought to Disney by Lucasfilm, but Disney executives ultimately rejected it. Driver previously said Bob Iger and Alan Bergman rejected the proposal because they could not see how Ben Solo could still be alive.
Fans were not ready to give up after learning about the film. The push to revive it grew to include billboards and planes flying over Disney, something Driver had not seen coming. “The fans’ response to it, though, was pretty incredible,” he said. “I didn’t expect that it was going to be billboards and people flying planes over Disney and things like that.” He added, “That was pretty cool.”
Still, the campaign has not given Driver reason to expect another outing. He acknowledged that the studio could bring the project back “if they wanted to,” but the decision remains out of his hands. “I think the ship has sailed,” he said. He clearly appreciated the effort fans put into keeping the film in the conversation, even as his answer gave them little reason to expect it to happen.
