Two months ago, Adam Driver revealed that he was set to return to the Star Wars franchise for a movie titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. However, despite Lucasfilm presenting Disney with a finished script, a budget, and even a proposed start date, the studio scrapped it. A fan campaign to save the film emerged almost immediately, demonstrating to the studio that there’s still interest in seeing more of Driver’s character. Some big names have thrown their voice behind The Hunt for Ben Solo, including Driver’s Star Wars co-star Daisy Ridley.
Daisy Ridley Supports The Hunt for Ben Solo
“I knew a piece of it. I heard rumblings,” Ridley told IGN. “I have lots of friends who are crew, so things always travel like that. But, whoa! When the story came out, no, I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ And it was him that said it, right? It was funny because, like, ‘Oh, wow, Adam is saying it,’ and that’s the big surprise of the year.“
Ridley added that seeing fans rally behind the scrapped project has been heartening. “I do love when there is a collective of positivity,” she said. “The way the internet seems to have rallied to try and get it to happen. I think one), it’s fantastic for us all. It’s good for us to all be united about something in a really positive way. Obviously, everyone knows he was a very popular character, but it was also lovely to think, ‘Wow, people really, really care and want this.’ I just… I like it. I like when people join forces — excuse the pun — from all around the world, all different sorts of people. I just love that the Star Wars fandom is such a huge and gorgeous array of different points of view and different people, and the fact that everyone is really behind this thing, I think, is just sort of lovely, in a time that is so f***ing nuts for probably every single person on this Earth. I think it’s wonderful. So I was surprised, and honestly, I felt joyful about how it went down.“
Ridley Says the Rey Movie Will be Worth the Wait
As for her own character-centric Star Wars movie, it’s apparently still happening.
The Rey movie is set to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel), and it was initially thought to be one of the first new Star Wars films to be released. However, it’s been plagued with setbacks. It was first announced at Star Wars Celebration over two years ago, with Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Justin Britt-Gibson (The Strain) writing the script. The pair left or were “asked to leave,” as Lindelof put it, and Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) stepped in to take over. However, Knight dropped out as well and was replaced by George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum).
Ridley is aware that it’s taken a while to get off the ground, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. “Honestly, there are scripts that I read five years ago, and now I’ve gone, ‘Oh, maybe they will actually happen,’” she said. “I think over the years, I’ve learned how the reality of getting any film made is so massive. The hurdles are vast… But with this particularly, I know that incredible voices and creatives are part of it, and I know the wait will be worth it.” The film is expected to take place fifteen years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It will follow Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi Order and mentor a new group of young potential Jedi.
At the risk of stirring the pot a little bit… if you could only pick one, would you rather see The Hunt for Ben Solo or the further adventures of Rey Skywalker?
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