Star Wars fans campaign for Disney to save the Hunt For Ben Solo movie as creators reveal they "did not enjoy lying"

After a disappointing production halt, a community of Star Wars fans is urging Disney to approve the continuation of the long-awaited fan film project, The Hunt For Ben Solo. Steven Soderbergh, the film's director, later confirmed that this was the first time Lucasfilm had ever delivered a finished script to Disney for a Star Wars film and been rejected. He posted the following statement on Bluesky:

“For the record, I did not enjoy lying about the existence of THE HUNT FOR BEN SOLO, but it really did need to remain a secret…until now!”

Adam Driver, who portrayed Ben Solo and Kylo Ren, disclosed that he collaborated with director Steven Soderbergh on a secret film project titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. Driver revealed that this project, which began development around 2021, was set immediately following the events of The Rise of Skywalker. The storyline was reportedly centered on the character's redemption arc and the continuation of his journey after his sacrifice.

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Fans Rally to save The Hunt for Ben Solo after Disney rejects Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh’s Star Wars film

Adam Driver at 63rd New York Film Festival (Image via Getty)

The shocking revelation that Disney’s top brass canceled The Hunt for Ben Solo has the fandom launch a powerful campaign for its revival. Director Soderbergh and Driver's comments instantly made the campaign a famous cause. On October 23, 2025, Soderbergh posted:

Also, in the aftermath of the HFBS situation, I asked Kathy Kennedy if LFL had ever turned in a finished movie script for greenlight to Disney and had it rejected. She said no, this was a first.

Fans, who felt that Ben Solo’s redemption arc was left unfinished, immediately launched a high-profile, multi-platform push to urge Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman to reconsider their rejection.

Within days of the news breaking, supporters commissioned a plane to fly a banner reading “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” over Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. This was quickly followed by the purchase of a billboard in New York City’s Times Square, explicitly demanding the film’s greenlight.

In an interview with AP News, actor Adam Driver stated:

“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it. 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.” He further added, “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”

In the same interview, Soderbergh stated:

“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”

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Stay tuned for more updates.

Edited by Suchita Patnaha