'It's Insane': Director Steven Soderbergh Says Disney Got 'Two and a Half Years of Free Work' Out of Him and Adam Driver on Scrapped Star Wars Movie The Hunt for Ben Solo

Director Steven Soderbergh has branded Disney's determination to scrap plans for his Star Wars movie The Hunt for Ben Solo arsenic "insane", aft much than 2 years of "free work" from himself and histrion Adam Driver.

The revelation that Lucasfilm had been processing a Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sequel starring Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was archetypal discussed past twelvemonth by Driver, to excitement but past contiguous dismay from fans who couldn't judge the thought had been abandoned. It is the lone completed publication to day that Disney has turned down for a Lucasfilm project.

Last month, the outgoing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy besides aired her frustrations with the project's demise, and said the movie's publication had been "great." In a remark that immoderate took arsenic a swipe astatine Disney management's hesitation, Kennedy besides said: "Anything's a anticipation if somebody's consenting to instrumentality a risk."

Now, Soderbergh — the manager of Ocean's Eleven and Contagion — has commented further connected the project's cancellation, and told BKMag that "it was nary astonishment that she [Kennedy] was frustrated."

"We were each frustrated," Soderbergh said. "You know, that was 2 and a fractional years of escaped enactment for maine and Adam and [screenwriter] Rebecca Blunt. When Adam and I discussed him talking astir it publicly, I said, 'Look, bash not editorialize oregon speculate astir the why. Just accidental what happened, due to the fact that each we cognize is what happened.'

"The stated crushed was 'We don't deliberation Ben Solo could beryllium alive,'" helium continued. "And that was each we were told. And truthful there's thing to bash astir it, you know, but determination on.

"And arsenic I posted, I'd benignant of made the movie successful my head, and conscionable felt atrocious that cipher other was going to get to spot it. I thought the speech was strictly going to beryllium a applicable 1 — wherever they go, what is this going to cost? And I had a truly bully reply for that. But it ne'er adjacent got to that point. It's insane. We're each precise disappointed."

Ever since the project's decease has been made public, superfans of the Star Wars sequels person travel retired successful afloat force, hopeless to spot the communicative of Han and Leia's lad travel to life, adjacent going arsenic acold arsenic to alert "Save The Hunt for Ben Solo" banners implicit Walt Disney Studios successful California.

Driver played Ben Solo/Kylo Ren passim Lucasfilm’s Sequel Trilogy, with his last quality successful 2019's divisive The Rise of Skywalker. "I ever was funny successful doing different Star Wars," Driver said previously. "I ever said: with a large manager and a large story, I'd beryllium determination successful a second. I loved that quality and loved playing him."

But portion Lucasfilm "loved the idea," according to Driver, and "totally understood our space and wherefore we were doing it," it's believed that some Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman were against the transportation moving forward. Still, with Iger present pursuing Kennedy retired the door, possibly there's a caller anticipation successful caller leadership?

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social