After years of failed movies, TV shows, and one too many cancelled Star Wars projects, fans are removing their lightsabers and taking things into their own hands by buying billboard space in New York City. Their message to Disney: Save The Hunt for Ben Solo. And, yes, it’s as serious as Zack Snyder fans’ #RestoreTheSnyderverse movement.
A glowing display recently appeared at 1500 Broadway, right above Carlo’s Bake Shop, with a simple plea: “For Adam. No one’s ever really gone. Hope lives. Ben is alive! #THBS.” It’s not the first public campaign either. Just days earlier, fans funded a plane to fly over Disney Studios in Burbank with a banner reading the same thing.
So, what’s got Star Wars fans ready to form the Rebellion again? It all started when Adam Driver revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh were secretly developing a post–Rise of Skywalker film titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. “I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” Driver told the Associated Press. “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. 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.”
According to Driver, the movie followed Ben Solo’s redemption and survival after his apparent death. The screenplay went through a powerhouse lineup, including Soderbergh, Logan Lucky writer Rebecca Blunt, and Contagion’s Scott Z. Burns all took a swing at it. Lucasfilm reportedly loved the idea. Then it went to Disney, and Bob Iger and Alan Bergman apparently didn’t. “They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive,” Driver said. “And that was that.”
Soderbergh later confirmed the project’s existence on Bluesky, writing, “For the record, I did not enjoy lying about the existence of The Hunt for Ben Solo, but it really did need to remain a secret… until now!” He added, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
It’s easy to imagine what The Hunt for Ben Solo could have been. Soderbergh’s track record speaks for itself. He turned heists into slick ensemble dramas (Ocean’s Eleven), made pandemics terrifying (Contagion), and somehow turned Channing Tatum into a global phenomenon (Magic Mike). The idea of him tackling a redemption arc for one of the saga’s most tragic characters feels like the kind of bold storytelling Star Wars could use right now.
Since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, the film side of the franchise has been stuck in neutral. Projects come and go. Just look at Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, Taika Waititi’s mystery film, and now The Hunt for Ben Solo. Meanwhile, the TV side keeps the Force alive. Andor proved audiences actually want layered storytelling, not just lightsabers and nostalgia. Its second season wrapped earlier this year, pulling in a rare 40% viewership increase by the finale.
So, Star Wars fans putting up billboards doesn’t seem so crazy when you think about it. They’ve seen Disney bring back Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine, and even Boba Fett—twice. But Ben Solo? Too far-fetched, apparently. For now, the galaxy will have to wait.
