The Hunt For Ben Solo Is Hopefully Not Dead Yet

Despite news that Steven Soderbergh and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren/Ben Solo movie The Hunt for Ben Solo had been abandoned, the fan-favorite film may still have some life left in it. In October, Adam Driver revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh had pitched The Hunt for Ben Solo, a movie set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, to Disney and Lucasfilm, but that it was ultimately shot down by Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Driver and Soderbergh had been developing the movie for years, and the announcement came as a confirmation that The Hunt for Ben Solo would never be made. Star Wars fans petitioned for the movie to be made, but that movement seemingly made little difference in the decision. Some flickers of hope came from Kathleen Kennedy’s departure from Lucasfilm, but The Hunt for Ben Solo still seemed like it was a lost cause. Now, however, there’s a new hope.

Dave Filoni Originally Backed The Hunt For Ben Solo

Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures via MovieStillsDB

When Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh originally pitched The Hunt for Ben Solo back in 2021, both Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni backed the project. While Disney CEO Bob Iger was the one to ultimately shut the idea down as he couldn’t conceptualize how Ben Solo had survived his apparent death in The Rise of Skywalker, two top executives at Lucasfilm liked the pitch.

Now that Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her position as president of Lucasfilm, Dave Filoni is taking on a larger role at the company. Filoni is set to become Lucasfilm’s creative lead, which means he’ll have more sway over Disney executives like Iger. Previously, Filoni acted as Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer, but he answered to Kennedy, who ultimately answered to Disney.

Given that he originally was on board with The Hunt for Ben Solo, Filoni’s newfound power at Lucasfilm could be a very good sign for the movie. Filoni has both fan approval and studio approval, given the sheer number of hits he’s created for Star Wars, from The Clone Wars to Ahsoka. This change in Lucasfilm’s leadership could reopen the door for The Hunt for Ben Solo to be revisited.

How The Hunt For Ben Solo Could Still Happen

Dave Filoni’s newfound power at Lucasfilm is a good sign for The Hunt for Ben Solo. Disney obviously still has the final say on new Star Wars movies, but Filoni could be a better advocate than Kennedy was. As creative lead, he may have different priorities than Kennedy did, and he may decide to argue The Hunt for Ben Solo‘s case with Iger and Disney more than she did.

Lucasfilm’s change in leadership is, at the very least, a chance for Star Wars to try new things and take new risks. It’s a chance for Filoni to directly have Bob Iger’s ear on all things Star Wars and directly plead the case of projects he’s more passionate about than Kathleen Kennedy was. If Filoni really was passionate about The Hunt for Ben Solo, now is the perfect time to revisit it.

Star Wars’ Future Movies Make The Hunt For Ben Solo More Difficult

There is, however, a caveat to this renewed possibility of The Hunt for Ben Solo being made. Lucasfilm and Disney already have an extensive list of upcoming Star Wars projects in the works. Notably, Rey Skywalker’s New Jedi Order movie is taking place after The Rise of Skywalker, while Simon Kinberg’s currently untitled trilogy has also been posited as an “Episode X” set after the sequel trilogy.

Star Wars is moving forward in the timeline after The Rise of Skywalker, which means there may soon be no room to fit The Hunt for Ben Solo in anymore. New Jedi Order and Kinberg’s trilogy probably already have a plan for what happens in the aftermath of The Rise of Skywalker, especially since The Rise of Kylo Ren was shot down by Disney. It might be difficult to shoehorn Ben Solo’s resurrection into that plan.

We don’t have any story details about The Hunt for Ben Solo, but it’s safe to assume that Ben’s survival would drastically change the state of the galaxy after The Rise of Skywalker. If he’s alive, it would make no sense for him not to be in New Jedi Order, and it would make no sense for Rey to have completely abandoned him. If Ben Solo is going to get his movie, it has to be before Rey’s story continues further into the Star Wars timeline.

Died

Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker

Alliance

Jedi, First Order

Race

Human