News Adam Driver tried to bring back Kylo Ren with the help of Steven Soderbergh

[The Nightmare Doctor]

Adam Driver revealed to the Associated Press that he tried to bring back Kylo Ren with the help of director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Contagion, Ocean's trilogy, Logan Lucky) with Lucasfim's approval...but Disney said no because they couldn't understand it:

“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” says Driver, who starred as Kylo Ren in the trilogy kicked off by “The Force Awakens.” “I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I always said: With a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second. I loved that character and loved playing him.”​

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Driver says he took a concept to Soderbergh for a film that would take place after 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” That movie culminated in Ren’s redemption and apparent death. Driver had undertaken the trilogy with an arc in mind for Ren that inverted the journey of Darth Vader. As the trilogy evolved, it didn’t play out that way. Driver felt there was unfinished business for Kylo Ren, or as he was known before turning to the Dark Side, Ben Solo.​

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Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt outlined a story that the group then pitched to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. They were interested, so the filmmakers then pulled in Scott Z. Burns to write a script. Driver calls the result “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”​

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“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver says. “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.”​

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“It was called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ and it was really cool,” adds Driver. “But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”​

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Soderbergh, in a statement, said: “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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A damn shame. As a big fan of Soderbergh, I would love to see his take on Star Wars. While I wasn't the biggest fan of Kylo Ren, I feel like he couldn't been an interesting character in the right hands.

 

[Saul]

Shame since he was one of the best things out of the trilogy. I wonder how they would have brought him back. Or would it be something slipped in between episodes? I'm glad to know he was actually up for it. I thought he was done with that character and the franchise in general. There's hope we may see him again.

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

The article mentions it would've been after The Rise of Skywalker, hence Iger's confusion.

 

[Tosk]

So Iger nixed the idea because it didn't make sense to him...but he let Rise of Skywalker get made?!

 

[Set Harth]

They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive.

Does he not know that he disappeared?

 

[Skywalker]

Too bad, there could have been something great in there. It's unfortunate they killed him off in TROS, but that's just one of many poor decisions made in those movies.

 

[Set Harth]

I may not like it, but I guess if Ventress can come back, anyone can come back.

 

[Gaith]

So Iger nixed the idea because it didn't make sense to him...but he let Rise of Skywalker get made?!

Call this an example of learning from mistakes, then.

I respect Driver and Soderbergh, but bringing back Ben Solo sounds dumb as hell, and I'm glad it was shot down on basic story reasons. If anything, this reflects poorly on Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team, for not having the integrity to commit to the story they'd just finished. But then, we are talking about the CEO who presided over the utter botching of the ST, and who publicly stressed how important it was to attract top-tier filmmaking talent before finally getting around to making the first post-TRoS flick... with the visionary director of Deadpool and Wolverine and Free Guy, so, I'm not surprised.

 

[Tosk]

the visionary director of Deadpool and Wolverine and Free Guy

Referring to him as a visionary even sarcastically hurts a little.

 

[Crewman Commander]

If anything, this reflects poorly on Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team, for not having the integrity to commit to the story they'd just finished.

It indicates nothing of the kind.

It's been baked into Star Wars since the very first film that Jedi can enjoy life after death, life after death that can affect the living.

And in the story they had just finished, it was established that the Sith have their own version of life after death, different from the Jedi way, but complementary.

Anakin's interaction with Ahsoka in Ahsoka "Shadow Warrior" has been some of the best Star Wars output in the Disney era. Anakin, who was once Vader, has continued after death, to great effect.

Given this, the idea of Ben Solo not really being dead is something that we can't dismiss out of hand, without having read the script. Without having read the script, we can't criticize Kennedy either, at least not fairly. Of course, the lack of fair reasons to criticize Kennedy hasn't stopped the Internet from turning.

 

[Tosk]

It's extra funny to think about Iger and Bergman being all, "But Kylo died" when the movie they just made has the infamous "Somehow the Emperor returned..."

 

[Set Harth]

It indicates nothing of the kind.

It's been baked into Star Wars since the very first film that Jedi can enjoy life after death, life after death that can affect the living.

But not in corporeal form. This script -- "Ben Solo was alive" -- doesn't sound like a project about Ben's Force ghost.
If we must go back to old-school Star Wars lore to justify such a thing, we'd arguably have better luck looking at some of the contents of Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi -- with the caveat that the material in question was not borne out in the released film.

It's extra funny to think about Iger and Bergman being all, "But Kylo died" when the movie they just made has the infamous "Somehow the Emperor returned..."

Palpatine ( who is no Jedi ) returned via cloning and essence transfer.

 

[The Nightmare Doctor]

...and who publicly stressed how important it was to attract top-tier filmmaking talent before finally getting around to making the first post-TRoS flick... with the visionary director of Deadpool and Wolverine and Free Guy, so, I'm not surprised.

Referring to him as a visionary even sarcastically hurts a little.

What's with the hate for Shawn Levy? I greatly enjoy both of those films and I love his work on Stranger Things.

 

[Tosk]

What's with the hate for Shawn Levy?

I don't hate him. And I think he's a competent director. He consistently delivers workmanlike films.

Palpatine ( who is no Jedi ) returned via cloning and essence transfer.

I know.

 

[valkyrie013]

Somehow Ben Solo survivied... HA..

Honestly I wouldn't mind a followup with a competent director that wasn't Jar Jar Abrams...

 

[Set Harth]

Without having read the script, we can't criticize Kennedy either, at least not fairly. Of course, the lack of fair reasons to criticize Kennedy hasn't stopped the Internet from turning.

Her approval might have been conditional. She may have requested a few changes. As to the specifics? ...I guess we'll never know. Could have been anything.

 

[Tuskin38]

Jar Jar Abrams...

Oh grow up. That isn't funny, it has never been funny. It's childish.

 

[Saul]

Even if they didn't understand it I think it's weird how they couldn't have worked something out. Everyone else was behind it, it seems like smart money. I'm not wrong in saying that Ren is more popular than Rey am I? Great actor wants to return as Darth Vader's grandson, why not jump on that?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Steven Soderbergh wants to make a Star Wars movie... and Bob Iger says no?!? I'm boycotting the Mandalorian and Grogu movie on general principles now.