Copyright Screen Rant
The tragic Star Wars news of the week is that Disney rejected Adam Driver's pitch for an incredible-sounding spin-off. However, actor Ryan Reynolds proved nearly a decade ago that there might still be hope for The Hunt for Ben Solo. Earlier this week, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo actor Adam Driver confirmed he had developed a spin-off for his character set after The Rise of Skywalker, which would have continued his character's redemption arc. However, the decision was made by Disney to reject the idea despite the character's high popularity. Here's why The Hunt For Ben Solo was passed over, and why there may still be hope for the movie now that we know about it. Why Disney Rejected Adam Driver's Ben Solo Spin-Off Pitch According to Adam Driver, his pitch for a Ben Solo spin-off was developed over two years with the full support of Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni. Likewise, Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Erin Brokovich, Logan Lucky) and Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, Contagion) were brought on to help develop the script that Disney ultimately rejected. This was because neither The Walt Disney Company's CEO Bob Iger nor Disney Entertainment's co-chair Alan Bergman was able to get past the fact that Ben Solo died at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, having given his life to save Rey's after their battle with the resurrected Emperor Palpatine. As far as reasons go to reject a Star Wars movie pitch and a beloved character's return, this one's pretty slim. Ironically, The Rise of Skywalker was the same movie where "somehow Palpatine returned". Additionally, the respective returns of Boba Fett and Darth Maul following what looked to be pretty definitive deaths are worth mentioning as well. Typically, the rule of thumb for Star Wars has been that if the character is cool enough or powerful enough, a way will be found to bring them back, so why not Ben Solo?. After all, the veil between life and death on the planet Exegol, where Ben Solo died, is canonically thin. There's also Ben Solo's unique bond with Rey Skywalker to consider as well. As a Force dyad, Ben and Rey possessed uniquely powerful Force abilities capable of transcending both time and space. Out of all the sequel trilogy characters, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo easily had the most untapped potential, and his death should not have been the deal-breaker that kept his spin-off from getting made. We've Seen The Internet Rally Before With Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool In the days following Adam Driver's reveal, huge sections of the Star Wars fandom have united in a way that's actually pretty rare to see. Countless Star Wars fans have taken to social media to show their support for The Hunt for Ben Solo, demanding that Disney reverse its decision and that Lucasfilm fast-tracks the spin-off. Interestingly enough, we saw something similar in 2014, when test footage of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool was released on the Internet shortly after it had been rejected by 20th Century Fox (Reynolds himself was more than likely involved in the footage's release). After the Deadpool test footage went viral, extreme fan demand forced Fox's hand, and Deadpool was greenlit (albeit with a comparatively small budget for a superhero blockbuster). Nevertheless, 2016's R-rated Deadpool went on to earn over $780 million worldwide with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score. The rest is history, with two more sequels and an expected MCU future for Reynolds' Wade Wilson. 2016's Deadpool is compelling proof that the right combination of creative conviction and fan enthusiasm can revive even the most abandoned projects. If fans rallied behind Deadpool or even "Ugly Sonic" for that matter, they could just as easily motivate Disney to revive a Star Wars spin-off centered around one of the franchise’s most popular characters from the sequel trilogy. Is There Still Hope For The Hunt For Ben Solo? The odds of Disney reversing its decision on The Hunt for Ben Solo aren’t incredibly high, though Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool proves they’re far from impossible. If audience demand on the Internet continues to grow and Adam Driver expresses a genuine interest in returning, it's possible that the studio could reconsider. Especially now that Lucasfilm is pivoting back to more theatrical releases, perhaps the time is finally right for The Hunt for Ben Solo. With any luck, online demand and calls for the project won't die down, which would hopefully lead to Disney paying attention and changing course. Reynolds proved that persistence and the holy union of creative and fan passion can bring projects back from the brink. If audiences continue to voice interest, and if Disney recognizes the true potential on their hands, The Hunt for Ben Solo could still find its way back to being in development for the near future.
