Adam Driver says the Ben Solo movie is dead and he's done with Star Wars
The actor told Rich Eisen this week that 'The Hunt for Ben Solo,' the Soderbergh-directed Star Wars spinoff he spent two years developing, is finished after Disney's Bob Iger and Alan Bergman said no. Driver isn't coming back.
In brief
Adam Driver says the Ben Solo movie is dead and he's done with Star Wars
It's over. Those two words, delivered flat and final on The Rich Eisen Show this week, are now the official epitaph for one of the most tantalizing what-ifs in recent Hollywood history. Adam Driver told Rich Eisen "It's over" and "No more Star Wars," closing the door on any return as Kylo Ren. He wasn't hedging. He wasn't playing coy. The Ben Solo chapter, as far as Driver is concerned, is done.
The statement landed with particular weight because fans already knew most of the backstory. Driver had revealed the existence of The Hunt for Ben Solo in an October 2025 interview with the Associated Press, explaining he had been developing a Ben Solo movie for two years with Soderbergh. That disclosure set off a year of fan campaigns, studio speculation, and periodic updates from everyone involved. What Driver gave The Rich Eisen Show this week was the period at the end of the sentence.
What the movie actually was
The Hunt for Ben Solo was an unproduced Star Wars film to be directed by Steven Soderbergh and produced by Lucasfilm, focusing on Adam Driver's Ben Solo following his apparent death in The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The script came together over a serious stretch of time. Driver developed the film with Soderbergh, who was attached to direct, and said the team got "a script together that was really good with Scott Burns and Rebecca Blunt."
Driver called it "one of the coolest scripts I had ever been a part of." Soderbergh was not shy about his own enthusiasm either. He spent two-and-a-half years developing the sequel before Disney killed it.
Lucasfilm wanted it to happen. That part makes the rejection sting more. "We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it," Driver said. "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."
Soderbergh's public reaction to the rejection was blunter still. He said "We were all frustrated." The stated reason from Disney was: "We don't think Ben Solo could be alive. And that was all we were told." According to Variety, Lucasfilm had presented the final script, budget, and proposed start of filming to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman. Disney never even got granular about its objections. Soderbergh called it "insane."
A fan campaign that actually moved the industry
When Driver first went public in October 2025, the response from Star Wars fans was not a few angry tweets. It was real money and real logistics. Days after fans paid for a plane to fly a banner reading "Save The Hunt for Ben Solo" over Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., a billboard appeared at 1500 Broadway, between 43rd and 44th, above Carlo's Bake Shop. Even Daisy Ridley, who starred opposite Driver as Rey in the sequel trilogy, championed fans for their support of The Hunt for Ben Solo.
Driver noticed. He acknowledged the "fans response" to the dropped film, which he described as "pretty incredible," adding he didn't expect "billboards and people flying planes over Disney." But acknowledgment isn't a greenlight. At D23 in August, Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni told Deadline, "The force is not with us in that regard," adding, "I love the love you feel for it."
Soderbergh, for his part, had already walked away from his end. Asked by The Playlist in April 2026 whether he would push the idea again, the director said no and left it there.
Driver leaves one very small crack in the door
To be precise about what Driver actually said this week: he is done from his side. He said the team "tried to do one more," but Disney said "No, he's dead," referring to the rejection by Bob Iger and Alan Bergman of the screenplay he pitched with Soderbergh. When Eisen pushed on whether a future Disney regime could change the math, Driver said, "If they wanted to [revive it], fine, but it's not our call. I think the ship has sailed, though."
That is not quite the same as swearing off a revival someone else initiates. Driver stopped short of swearing off a revival he would have no hand in starting. But the practical reality is clear. Driver and Soderbergh spent two years developing The Hunt for Ben Solo, and Disney executives rejected the film despite Lucasfilm's support, because Ben dies in The Rise of Skywalker.
Meanwhile, Neon releases Driver's next film, Paper Tiger, on November 13. And Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, is due in theaters May 28, 2027. Disney's Star Wars machine keeps moving. It just won't have Adam Driver in it.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
