Star Wars fans campaign for Disney to save Hunt For Ben Solo as creators reveal they ‘didn’t enjoy lying’

After a disappointing production shutdown, the Star Wars fan community is urging Disney to approve the long-awaited fan film project to continue. Searching for Ben Solo. Stephen Soderbergh, the film’s director, later confirmed that this was the first time Lucasfilm had turned over a final script to Disney for a Star Wars film and it had been rejected. He posted the following statement on Bluesky:

“For the record, I didn’t enjoy lying about the existence of the hunt for Ben Solo, but it was really necessary for it to remain a secret… until now!”

Adam Driver, who played Ben Solo and Kylo Ren, revealed that he collaborated with director Steven Soderbergh on a secret film project titled Searching for Ben Solo. Driver revealed that this project, which began development around 2021, was set directly after the events of… The Rise of Skywalker. The story reportedly centered on the character’s redemption arc and the continuation of his journey after his sacrifice.

Fans rally to the rescue Searching for Ben Solo After Disney rejected Star Wars, directed by Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh

The shocking reveal that was canceled by Disney’s top brass Searching for Ben Solo The fanbase has launched a strong campaign to revive it. Director Soderbergh and Driver’s comments made the campaign an instant cause célèbre. On October 23, 2025, Soderbergh posted:

Also, in the wake of the HFBS situation, Cathy Kennedy asked if LFL had ever submitted a finished movie script to get the green light to Disney and it was rejected. She said no, this was the first time.

Fans, feeling that Ben Solo’s redemption arc was incomplete, immediately launched a high-profile, multi-platform campaign urging 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 Search 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 green light for the film.

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

“We submitted the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They completely 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.” “But that’s not the case anymore, so I can finally talk about it,” he added.

In the same interview, Soderbergh said:

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

Stay tuned for more updates.