“Nope.”
Even after surpassing the $1 billion milestone on the international field workplace, Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker (2019) struggled to land as a satisfying conclusion to the sequel trilogy. Years later, the franchise is still navigating the aftermath, with expanded storytelling throughout comics, novels, and tv trying to make clear lingering plot threads and character arcs left unresolved by J. J. Abrams’ divisive finale.
The challenges weren’t restricted to the trilogy’s closing chapter. Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi (2017) sparked intense debate amongst followers, making a divide that carried by to the ultimate installment. At the time, some viewers even referred to as for Lucasfilm to desert the sequel-era narrative totally.
Instead, the studio doubled down, bringing Abrams again after his work on Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens (2015) to wrap up the story, aiming to unify a fractured fan response.
Led by Daisy Ridley as Rey, the sequel trilogy launched a brand new era of characters, together with John Boyega’s Finn, Oscar Isaac’s Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren—a conflicted Force consumer torn between legacy and id.
Kylo Ren, specifically, emerged as one of many trilogy’s most layered figures. However, many followers had been left dissatisfied along with his trajectory, which noticed him confront the Knights of Ren, kind a mysterious Force reference to Rey, and in the end sacrifice himself—returning to his id as Ben Solo earlier than dying in her arms.
In the years since, Lucasfilm has labored to increase and refine parts of the sequel-era story. This contains revisiting key developments—such because the return of Emperor Palpatine, performed by Ian McDiarmid—by supplemental materials. Notably, a recent comic adaptation of The Rise of Skywalker even altered aspects of the film’s ending.
Several characters have acquired extra consideration in these expanded narratives. Among them are a Kylo Ren-centered storyline set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, in addition to the Rey-focused “Jaws of Jakku,” which explores occasions throughout the identical interval.
At one level, Lucasfilm appeared interested in continuing Ben Solo’s story on the big screen.
“I was always interested in doing another Star Wars,” Adam Driver instructed 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 clarify that he introduced the idea for a post-The Rise of Skywalker movie centered on Kylo Ren to 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.”
According to Driver, the screenplay stood out as “one of the [coolest] scripts” he had encountered. Still, regardless of inside enthusiasm, the challenge in the end didn’t safe approval from Disney management.
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver stated. “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.”
The proposed movie reportedly carried the title The Hunt for Ben Solo, signaling a narrative that will have addressed the character’s destiny following his obvious dying. While questions on Ben Solo’s survival had been a key sticking level, the broader reception to the sequel trilogy possible performed a task. Revisiting that chapter of the timeline so quickly after a contentious conclusion could have been considered as a threat.
Now, new feedback from Soderbergh have confirmed the tip of this Ben Solo film. When requested by The Playlist about whether or not he intends to return to The Hunt for Ben Solo now that Lucasfilm and Disney are underneath new management, Soderbergh bluntly stated “nope.” According to the report, this got here after a dialogue round whether or not Tony Gilroy’s Andor had contributed to the potential film’s improvement.
“Well, I don’t want to say [it had no influence], because then it makes it seem like, you know, ‘I watched Andor, and it had absolutely no impact on me,’ which is not true, it was great,” he defined. “But this was [all] before Andor aired. Adam and I started talking, and this would have been almost three years ago now.”
Soderbergh went on to clarify that the method was nonetheless significant, despite the fact that the film by no means got here to fruition.
“It was strictly Adam saying, ‘I think there’s still somewhere to go with this character.’ That’s how it started. Otherwise, I never in a million years would have found myself in that universe again,” he admitted. “I don’t regret one minute of the time we spent working on that,” he stated. “I felt the work was good. It’s just good for you to be in that room and working on it. It’s like CrossFit—it’s good for you. It’ll have a residual effect that will be unexpected at some point.”
Instead, Lucasfilm has shifted its focus. When Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter (2027) arrives, it will mark nearly a decade since the studio last explored the post-sequel era in a theatrical release.
In the interim, a lot of the franchise’s consideration has been directed towards the New Republic interval—the timeline between the unique and sequel trilogies—by interconnected Disney+ collection sometimes called the Mando-Verse. That period is ready to make its theatrical debut with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026).
For now, no lively tasks characteristic the central characters of the sequel trilogy. Back in 2023, Kathleen Kennedy outlined plans for 3 movies, together with one centered on Rey Skywalker in a “New Jedi Order” setting years after The Rise of Skywalker. However, progress on that project appears to have slowed, with Starfighter shifting forward extra rapidly. The shift raises questions on when—or if—Lucasfilm will return to that nook of the saga.
As the franchise recalibrates, the trail ahead stays unsure. With a lowered live-action tv slate, the obvious conclusion of The Mandalorian coming this 12 months, and a slate of standalone theatrical tasks, Star Wars appears to be getting into one other transitional part.
Whether audiences stay engaged with the evolving course of the galaxy far, far-off is an open query—however it’s one Lucasfilm will quickly need to reply.
How do you are feeling in regards to the Kylo Ren film by no means taking place? Let Inside the Magic know within the feedback down beneath!
