Rian Johnson shared his thoughts on the scrapped The Hunt for Ben Solo movie that would see Adam Driver reprise his role as Ben Solo.
Driver revealed the film existed, but was eventually scrapped by Disney executives in an interview with the Associated Press. He specifically revealed that a script for the film called The Hunt for Ben Solo was penned by Scott Z. Burns and Steven Soderbergh was attached to direct.
Driver told the AP, “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.”
After Burns completed his script it was presented to Lucasfilm brass who approved of it. “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. In fact, he described the script as “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”
However, after it was presented to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman it was promptly scrapped. “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,” Driver shared.
He then revealed the film’s name, “It was called The Hunt for Ben Solo and it was really cool. But it is no more, so I can finally talk about it.”
“We wanted to be judicial about how to spend money and be economical with it, and do it for less than most but in the same spirit of what those movies are, which is handmade and character-driven,” Driver added. “Empire Strikes Back being, in my opinion, the standard of what those movies were. But he is, to me, one of my favorite directors of all time. He lives his code, lives his ethics, doesn’t compromise.”
As for Soderbergh he said, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
Rian Johnson shared his thoughts on the scrapped film in an interview with Collider, “Take my money! I only know what I read about it online. I didn’t know anything about it, but who knows how things are developed these days? But man, I will watch Driver in anything, but I would love to see him play that character again.”
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My money is on Ben being alive inside of Rey’s body, the force dyad converged as one to save her. It goes with the mythology of the sequels, which included a lot of Carl Jung’s stuff, ending in the conjunction of opposites, symbolized in the broken-down staff of Rey, and the binding and burial of the two male/female lightsabers, as well as Luke/Leia risen in the end with the two women who represent the past and future.
The whole trilogy was about duality, with Ben and Rey as the animus/anima. It’s the alchemical wedding. That may be how she takes the name of the Skywalker lineage. The grandson and granddaughter of Anakin Skywalker and Sheev Palpatine may be merged.
Rian is now working on The Hunt for Ben Dover. But only because Rian likes to "ben dover" for any penis that comes his way.