End of 2025, Adam Pilote revealed that he had worked with the director Steven Soderbergh on a “Star Wars” film called “The Hunt for Ben Solo.” The film would have introduced his character, Ben Solo, who was introduced as the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” However, he died at the end of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” Even so, Driver felt he still had work to do with the character and spent a few years developing a script with Soderbergh, who was set to direct it. Unfortunately, Driver says Disney executives didn’t understand how Ben Solo could still be alive and shut down the project. Although he was disappointed that his film didn’t come to fruition, Soderbergh has since revealed that the canceled project allowed him to pursue his own passion project.
Steven Soderbergh Launches ‘Jaws’ Tribute App ‘Production 02074’
Steven Soderbergh Launches ‘Jaws’ Tribute App ‘Production 02074’; Creates an inventive format for Spielberg’s Shark Tale making-of https://t.co/gV11Ytreds
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) June 23, 2026
On June 20, Soderbergh released his “Production 02074” app to the Apple Store and is currently working on an Android version. The app is a compilation of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 hit film “Jaws” and all the work that went into making the film.
Speaking to Deadline about his new app, Soderbergh revealed that he’s seen “Jaws” more than 30 times in theaters and that the app is a love letter to one of the most groundbreaking films of all time. The app includes images as Spielberg shot them, as well as observations and anecdotes provided by Spielberg himself. The app costs $24.99 and all proceeds will be donated to an animal charity.
Soderbergh was able to complete the project because “The Hunt for Ben Solo” was abandoned
During the conversation, Soderbergh admitted: “If Star Wars If we had moved forward, this would not have been over.
He revealed that his plan to move from a coffee table book to an app began right after then-Lucasfilm president. Kathleen Kennedy called him to tell him they weren’t moving forward with Driver’s “Star Wars” movie.
“It was immediately after that didn’t happen. I started on several writing projects, both to see if I could generate material to make into films, but also just to keep myself busy,” he said. “And literally, as soon as we got the call, ‘This isn’t happening,’ I thought, ‘OK, it’s time to really sit down and get serious about ending this thing.’ “If I had gone and made this movie, this thing wouldn’t have been made.
Soderbergh says everyone has since “left” the project
Earlier this year, Adam Driver received rave reviews for his work on James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” at the Cannes Film Festival. This is just one of many projects the actor has planned for the near future.
Soderbergh admitted that while the decision to cancel the film was “confusing,” he confessed, “Everyone immediately moved on.” »
“I don’t burn a lot of calories on things I can’t control,” he explained. “There is no benefit to this. And as soon as Kathy [Kennedy] I called and I was like, “This isn’t happening,” I was like, “OK, let’s move on.” I have to go to work.
Did Steven Soderbergh throw shade at Disney?
Elsewhere in the interview, they discussed the difficulty of reconciling studio and financial expectations with a director’s vision. Soderbergh noted, “My response is, ‘Well, what do you expect? Why would you want them to have the vision that you have? If they did, they would do what you do.'”
“I don’t expect enlightened visionary responses from people who pay for movies. It’s a nice surprise when you’re dealing with a studio or an executive who totally understands and sees what you’re trying to do, and who totally supports you and supports you in whatever request you make. But I don’t expect that to be the case by default,” Soderbergh said.
He didn’t mention any specific studio or executive, but some fans can’t help but wonder if Soderbergh’s comment was directed at Disney for stopping its “Star Wars” film, or at the industry in general.
Soderbergh stresses not ‘thinking about things you can’t control’
Elsewhere in the interview, Soderbergh made another possible pass at Disney when he said he “would rather encourage a filmmaker to be prepared that people sometimes don’t understand what you’re trying to do and don’t see it until they’ve seen it.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t trust people. It just means don’t expect everyone to feel the same way you do. Otherwise, you’re going to be very disappointed,” he continued.
However, he went on to say that “disappointment is not an active state,” adding, “You have to stay in an active state and do things, not just think about things that you can’t control, or that it’s too late to change. You have to understand that you have a limited amount of space in your brain to devote to whatever you do. You have to be ruthless in shutting out noise that doesn’t ultimately help you create a better version of the thing.”
“Megalopolis” also starred Adam Driver
During the interview, Deadline cited Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed “Megalopolis” as an example of someone who didn’t want to have any regrets about making his completed project true to his vision. Ironically, the 2024 film also starred Adam Driver in the lead role.
Soderbergh used the example to encourage aspiring filmmakers to “be someone who finishes things” because “finishing something that’s good but not great is better than not finishing something that could have been great.”
“I’m very stickler on this subject, and this is an example, 19 years basically from start to finish on this project. If I decide to start, it will be done,” he continued. “It may not be perfect, but I can’t think of a single project that I assigned myself or someone assigned to me that I didn’t finish.”
“Production 02074” is currently available on the Apple Store, with an Android version expected in the coming weeks.
