Steven Soderbergh Reveals Why No Franchise Could ‘Try’ Him After ‘Star Wars’

Director Steven Soderbergh hasn’t shied away from answering questions related to his abandoned “Star Wars” film, “The Hunt For Ben Solo.” Him and the actor Adam Pilotewho played Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in the sequel trilogy, worked on the project for years before it was ultimately abandoned by Disney.

Steven Soderbergh has no franchise plans after ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’ is scrapped

Before unveiling his new John Lennon documentary ahead of its Cannes premiere, Soderbergh spoke to Deadline about the shelved Ben Solo film. They asked what other major franchise could “try” him; However, it seems the director has absolutely no plans to create another franchise film after his deal with Lucasfilm fell through.

“It doesn’t occur to me…I’m clearly not a snob,” Soderbergh said. “You can see it on my credits list. [But] the feeling should be, “I can’t stand the thought of anyone else doing this.” I’m the person who does this. It has to be that.

“So, given my background, there’s just certain genres that I’m not steeped in: I haven’t read that stuff, I haven’t been exposed to that stuff. You know what I mean?” he continued. “I didn’t buy or read comics, for example. So this whole space, I don’t have a problem with it – it’s just not in my DNA, and I wouldn’t be good at it.”

Soderbergh Thought His Abandoned ‘Star Wars’ Film Would Be ‘The Greatest Thing’ He Ever Did

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Soderbergh admitted that he had taken on smaller projects in recent years and thought a trip to a galaxy far, far away would be the kind of ambitious project he was looking for.

“Star Wars was going to occupy this place. This was going to be the most important thing I ever attempted to achieve. And I was excited about working on a big canvas,” he said. “You know, it’s been a long time. I’m trying to do other projects that will satisfy this desire.

He admitted he’s been working on the canceled “Star Wars” film for “a long time,” but compared complaining about its cancellation to “complaining about the weather,” adding, “You just have to figure it out.”

Steven Soderbergh has no plans to return to a galaxy far, far away

Although some “Star Wars” fans hope the storyline can one day be made, Steven Soderbergh told The Playlist that the film is dead, saying, “Look, if it was going to happen, it would have happened. »

“It’s that simple,” he added, clearly answering “No” when asked if he would ever return to the project.

However, he said he has no regrets about working on the project. “I don’t regret a single minute of the time we spent working on this,” he said. “I thought the work was good. It’s just good for you to be in that room and working there. It’s like CrossFit: It’s good for you. It will have a residual effect that will be unexpected at some point.”

Soderbergh reveals the idea came from Adam Driver

During the same interview, Soderbergh also revealed that Driver was the one who brought up the idea of ​​making another character-driven film. “It was strictly Adam saying, ‘I think there’s still something to be done with this character.’ That’s how it all started,” Soderbergh revealed.

Speaking to Variety, he revealed that Driver “felt bad” about involving him in the project, only for it to be shut down.

“Adam felt bad for involving me. I think he felt like he was wasting my time, and I made it clear to him, ‘Dude, it wasn’t a waste of time.’ It’s a problem-solving experience that will be applied to everything I do in the future,” Soderbergh said.

“I’m not upset,” he continued. “I feel positive about everything we’ve done together.”

Steven Soderbergh is still ‘disappointed’ with how it all played out

Although he doesn’t consider it a waste of time, he told BK Mag that they were “all frustrated” that the film was canceled even though they had already written the script.

“You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me, Adam and [writer] Rebecca Blunt,” he explained. “When Adam and I talked about him talking about this publicly, I said, ‘Look, don’t editorialize and speculate on why. Just say what happened, because all we know is what happened. The reason given was: “We don’t think Ben Solo is alive.” » And that’s all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do, you know, except move on.

“I had kind of made the movie in my head, and I felt bad that no one else could see it,” he continued. “I thought the conversation would be strictly practical: Where are they going, how much is it going to cost? And I had a very good answer to that question. But we never even got to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”

Adam Driver revealed the existence of the film in October 2025

In October 2025, Driver said AP News that he was “always interested” in making another film in a galaxy far, far away and that he worked on the idea with Soderbergh after Kathleen Kennedy “contacted” him.

They presented a script, written by Scott Z. Burns, to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni.

“We pitched the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver explained. “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 it.”

Although many fans are disappointed that Disney canceled “The Hunt For Ben Solo,” the franchise recently returned to theaters for the first time in years. “The Mandalorian & Grogu” is the first film released since “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019. It will be followed by “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is scheduled for theatrical release in May 2027.