Brakes on Ben Solo's Return: Disney Rejected the Script, Adam Driver Says the Episode Is Closed

If you thought the Star Wars universe would bring Kylo Ren back with one more spin-off, you'll need to put those hopes on hold. Adam Driver has made it clear that the 'ship' of a Ben Solo film has long since sailed. He said this on The Rich Eisen Show, revealing that he and Steven Soderbergh had prepared a script together for Ben Solo's story, but Disney's top executives refused to give it the green light. This isn't just about a rejected script. Driver said he and Soderbergh worked on the project with full effort and honesty, and the script turned out well. The creative team at Lucasfilm responded positively. But when the matter reached Disney's Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, the decision flipped. The reported biggest reason for rejection was the story's logic — how can Ben Solo be alive after dying in The Rise of Skywalker? This question was a stumbling block not just for the writers but for Lucasfilm's entire canon department, which was not easy to get past. Bringing a dead character back in the Star Wars universe has always been a sensitive matter, and Disney is particularly cautious about not putting the brand's long-term credibility at stake. Interestingly, Driver stressed that the decision wasn't his to make — 'it wasn't my decision,' he said. He also added that if the project ever restarts in the future, he is open to it. So the door isn't entirely closed, just locked for now for this particular project. Meanwhile, a section of fans has been active too. Social media campaigns demanding Ben Solo's return took place, and an aerial banner was even flown over Disney headquarters in Burbank. But this showy pressure had no effect on Disney's decision. This is proof that fan sentiment, no matter how intense, often proves weak in reversing big studios' canon and business decisions. Since The Rise of Skywalker in 2026, there had been a kind of hope in the Star Wars fandom about Ben Solo's return. Soderbergh had recently indicated that the project would not move forward after April. Driver's latest statement makes it clear that Ben Solo's story will not progress in the form of this film. But there's an interesting angle too. If you listen carefully to Driver's words, they aren't fully 'closure.' He said, 'if things open up again, I'm ready for it.' So in the future, in some different form — perhaps a prequel or another story — Ben Solo's return could again become part of a film project. But for this particular script and this particular project, the door is now closed. As for Disney, they have issued no official statement on the matter. The reported reason for rejection has come out unofficially. So it would be premature to assume that story logic was the only reason. It's possible that there is also internal deliberation at Disney regarding Star Wars' overall strategy and portfolio. For now, what is clear is that the story of Ben Solo's return has come to a halt in this form. Adam Driver, Steven Soderbergh, and Disney executives — all three signals point in the same direction. For fans this may be disappointing, but in the world of storytelling, sometimes doors close so that a better path can open ahead. The question is whether Disney will show the courage to bring Ben Solo back in some new way in the coming time, or whether this character will disappear from the screen forever.