‘Star Wars’ Fans Launch Billboard Campaign to Save ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’: ‘No One’s Ever Really Gone’

After discovering that a potential “Star Wars” project titled “The Hunt for Ben Solo” was shelved back in 2021, fans are rallying for Disney to reconsider their decision with a new billboard in New York City.

Days after “Star Wars” fans paid for a plane to fly a banner reading “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” over Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., Collider reported that a billboard popped up at 1500 Broadway, between 43rd and 44th, above Carlo’s Bake Shop. The sign read “For Adam. No one’s ever really gone. Hope lives. Ben is alive! #THBS.”

In a recent interview with AP, Adam Driver spoke about the development process for “The Hunt for Ben Solo” and working with director Steven Soderbergh. The film would follow Ben Solo on a quest for redemption, shortly after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.” The screenplay was edited by Soderbergh and “Logan Lucky” screenwriter Rebecca Blunt, later bringing on Scott Z. Burns to pen the script.

“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” said Driver. “I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen 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.”

During the interview, Driver revealed how the script was received and how the project was shut down. “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. “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 that.”

Soderbergh commented on Driver’s reveal on his Bluesky account, confirming the existence of the project. “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!”

“I really enjoyed making the movie in my head,” added Soderbergh. “I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”