Adam Driver revealed that Disney shot down a Star Wars sequel centered on Ben Solo, despite the participation of Lucasfilm.
The Oscar-nominated actor, who played Han Solo and Leia Organa’s son and Anakin Skywalker’s (aka Darth Vader) grandson and then-turned-villain Kylo Ren, recently detailed the idea for the sequel during an interview with The Associated Press.
“I always wanted to do another Star Wars“, Driver said. “I’ve been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen [Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm] had stretched out his hand. I always said: with a great director and a great story, I’ll be there in a second. I loved this character and I loved playing him.
THE Megalopolis The actor said he eventually pitched his idea to filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, adding that the film would have taken place after 2019. The Rise of Skywalker. (Driver also starred in the 2015 film The Force Awakens and 2017 The Last Jedi.)
After Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt came up with a story concept, they brought in Scott Z. Burns to write a screenplay, which Driver described as “one of the coolest (expletive) screenplays I’ve ever been a part of.”
THE Gucci House The star continued, “We pitched the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it.”
While everything seemed to be moving full steam ahead at that point, Driver needed a few more people on board for the film, tentatively titled The Hunt for Ben Soloto come fully to life. However, things didn’t go as planned once they presented it to Disney executives.
“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 it,” Driver recalls. His character, Kylo Ren, has a redemption arc throughout the trilogy and ultimately dies at the end of The Rise of Skywalker.
He added that while the idea for the sequel “was really cool,” he noted, “It’s not anymore, so I can finally talk about it.”
Soderbergh also wrote in a statement to The Associated Press“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t be able to see it.”
The Hollywood Reporter contacted Lucasfilm, but they declined to comment.
