Disney Scraps ‘Star Wars’ Standalone Movie Featuring Sequel Trilogy Star

2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker may have earned over $1 billion at the global box office, but its reputation remains far more divisive. The sequel trilogy as a whole left many fans conflicted, and years later, Lucasfilm is still navigating how to expand and clarify its tangled mythology through books, comics, and Disney+ series.

The trilogy’s legacy is complicated. Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi (2017) split audiences sharply, while The Rise of Skywalker tried to close the story by bringing back director J.J. Abrams and introducing a wave of retcons that didn’t sit well with everyone. For all its new heroes–Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac)–one of the most intriguing characters was Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, whose tragic arc ended when he redeemed himself as Ben Solo and died in Rey’s arms.

In recent years, Lucasfilm has attempted to fill in the gaps through extended media, including comics exploring Kylo’s time between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. But according to Driver, there were once bigger plans for Ben Solo’s story–plans that came surprisingly close to happening.

“I always was interested in doing another Star Wars,” Driver told Associated Press. “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.”

Driver went on to explain that he developed a concept with director Steven Soderbergh. “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,” the outlet wrote. “They were interested, so the filmmakers then pulled in Scott Z. Burns to write a script.”

The film was to be called The Hunt for Ben Solo. “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 ([Disney CEO]) and Alan Bergman ([co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment]), and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”

While the concept intrigued Lucasfilm’s creative leads, Disney ultimately passed. Considering how polarizing the sequels were, another trip into that timeline might have been seen as too soon. For now, the galaxy far, far away is heading elsewhere–toward Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter (2027), a post-sequel standalone arriving eight years after The Rise of Skywalker.

Lucasfilm’s focus in recent years has shifted toward the New Republic era, bridging the gap between the original and sequel trilogies through series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Levy’s Starfighter will continue that direction, while the long-announced Rey-centered “New Jedi Order” movie, first revealed in 2023, remains stalled.

With The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) arriving next May and several projects reportedly being scaled back, Lucasfilm appears to be closing one chapter and starting another. Whether fans will ever see Ben Solo again–or if The Hunt for Ben Solo will stay buried in the archives–remains one of Star Wars’ biggest what-ifs.