Steven Soderbergh says nope to Star Wars

Speaking to The Playlist while promoting The Christophers, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Solaris) was asked if he was interested in pursuing The Hunt for Ben Solo following leadership changes at Disney and Lucasfilm, to which he replied: “Nope.”

Soderbergh revealed that Adam Driver, who played fan-favourite Kylo Ren, was the driving force behind the Star Wars project supported by former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy but vetoed by former Disney CEO Bob Iger:

“Adam and I started talking, and this would have been almost three years ago now. It was strictly Adam saying, ‘I think there’s still somewhere to go with this character.’ That’s how it started. Otherwise, I never in a million years would have found myself in that universe again.

I don’t regret one minute of the time we spent working on that. I felt the work was good. It’s just good for you to be in that room and working on it. It’s like CrossFit—it’s good for you. It’ll have a residual effect that will be unexpected at some point.

As soon as it became apparent, OK, not gonna happen, I sat down and started writing [something else]. It’s like, ‘OK, new scenario, let’s get cracking.’ At a certain point, it’s like complaining about the weather. You just gotta keep moving… Look, if it was gonna happen, it would have happened. It’s that simple.”

Are you disappointed that The Hunt for Ben Solo is seemingly scrapped for good? Let me know in the comments below.

Steven Soderbergh on The Hunt for Ben Solo

Ever since Adam Driver first spoke about The Hunt for Ben Solo, Star Wars fans (myself included) have been clamouring for the scrapped movie to be revived at Lucasfilm with Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh at the helm.

“We were all frustrated,” Soderbergh said. “You know, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and [writer] Rebecca Blunt. When Adam and I discussed him talking about it publicly, I said, ‘Look, do not editorialize or speculate about the why. Just say what happened, because all we know is what happened.’ The stated reason was, ‘We don’t think Ben Solo could be alive.’ And that was all we were told. And so there’s nothing to do about it, you know, except move on.”

When Lucasfilm took the idea to Disney, they said no.

“I’d kind of made the movie in my head, and just felt bad that nobody else was going to get to see it,” the director continued. “I thought the conversation was strictly going to be a practical one—where they go, what is this going to cost? And I had a really good answer for that. But it never even got to that point. It’s insane. We’re all very disappointed.”

With new leadership at Disney and Lucasfilm, could The Hunt for Ben Solo begin anew?

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Adam Driver on The Hunt for Ben Solo

After his debut in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, played by Adam Driver, quickly became a fan-favourite as he grappled with the light and the dark side of the Force before sacrificing himself to save Rey (Daisy Ridley) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Driver recently spoke to AP about his idea for a standalone Star Wars movie. "I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. 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."

Whilst Lucasfilm loved the idea developed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt, the project fell apart after they took it to Disney, who had forgotten that no one's ever really gone in Star Wars.

"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," Driver told AP. "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."

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

What do you think? Was it a missed opportunity? Let me know in the comments below.

The Rise of Skywalker final battle begins TV Spots

The final trailer may have been released, but that hasn't stopped Disney's daily dose of TV Spots in the run-up to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.







The latest, entitled "Adventure", features Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) dualling in front of Darth Vader's melted mask. The location is reminiscent of Cloud City and Ralph McQuarrie's original concept art for Star Wars.



Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on 19th December in the UK.

Daisy Ridley says 'Reylo' will be addressed in Star Wars

The sexual tension between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) continues to fuel fan speculation in the run-up to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker this December. That tension reached boiling point in director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi.

“It does not bother me, people writing theories,” Daisy Ridley said. “It’s really fun hearing them. Plus, because I know what’s sort of going to happen, I think it’ll be really interesting to see people’s reaction to [the final film]. Obviously, there’s this whole Reylo thing and some people are very passionate about it, some aren’t.”

Ridley goes on to suggest the romantic connection is addressed in The Rise of Skywalker. “J.J. does deal it [it],” she added. “It’s a very complex issue. People talk about toxic relationships and whatever it is. It’s no joke and I think it’s dealt with really well because it’s not skimmed over.”

Original trilogy fans (myself included) all too clearly remember Luke and Leia's tangled romantic relationship and how it was revealed they were twins in Return of the Jedi. Nice one, George!

Star Wars fan film: Vader v Kenobi duel reimagined

This Star Wars fan film reimagines the final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) and Darth Vader (David Prowse) aboard the first dreaded Death Star in A New Hope. A scene infamously spoiled in the track listing for the soundtrack album. And this wouldn't be the last time a major plot spoiler would appear in a Star Wars soundtrack release. Qui-Gon's Noble End in The Phantom Menace is another notorious example.

"Scene 38 Reimagined is about the final confrontation between Ben Kenobi & Darth Vader in A New Hope nearly 20 years after the events of Revenge Of The Sith. This is a one-off story driven scene reflecting the characters in its chronological order from the point of Revenge of the Sith through Rebels, Rogue One, and all canon material leading to A New Hope."



George Lucas endlessly tinkered with the original and prequel trilogies prior to selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. Those alterations have been met with derision by many fans. However, this fan film is certainly worth a watch in an era dominated by Hollywood bombast and attention deficit, a far cry from the seventies. There's a kineticism at play more in keeping with Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) rage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Did Adam Driver share a spoiler regarding Rey to GQ?

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is less than two months away from release and fans know very little about the upcoming Star Wars sequel directed by Rian Johnson. However, actor Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren, may or may not have let slip a spoiler regarding Rey's parentage during an interview with British GQ magazine.

Read on at your own peril, if you want to avoid any possible spoilers.

“I remember the initial conversations about having things ‘skinned’, peeling away layers to evolve into other people, and the person Kylo’s pretending to be on the outside is not who he is. He’s a vulnerable kid who doesn’t know where to put his energy, but when he puts his mask on, suddenly, he’s playing a role. JJ had that idea initially and I think Rian took it to the next level… You have, also, the hidden identity of this princess who’s hiding who she really is so she can survive and Kylo Ren and her hiding behind these artifices.”

Now, Driver's comment is ambiguous enough to pertain to either Rey or General Leia, Kylo's mother, played by the late Carrie Fisher. Personally, I can't imagine the actor was careless enough to let slip a spoiler of this magnitude so close to release without Lucasfilm vetting the interview. Afterall, he didn't disclose that his character Kylo Ren would kill his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), in The Force Awakens.

"When I watched the premiere, I felt sick to my stomach," the actor said. "Immediately, I thought I was going to puke. I was holding my wife's hand, and she's like, 'You're really cold. Are you OK?' Because I just knew what was coming — I kill Harrison Ford — and I didn't know how this audience of 2,000 people was going to respond to it, you know?"

Whatever the case, fans will find out this December.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Adam Driver clarifies comments on Star Wars sequel

A few weeks ago the internet exploded when Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, was seemingly quoted as saying director Rian Johnson's upcoming sequel to The Force Awakens echoed The Empire Strikes Back. The movie just so happens to be my favourite film of all time and Alexa (Siri in a speaker) seems to agree it's the best Star Wars movie to date.

Here's what Driver said about his interview with Collider:

“No, no, and that’s not even what I said. What I said was the tone of it was different, I didn’t say that it was gonna be in the vein of [it]—I was using it as an example, so poor example,“ he clarified. ”Next time I should say—I’m trying to think of another sequel to a movie that’s good. When I read the script, it was not what I expected, in the best of ways.”

Whatever the case may be. During a panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe, there was a palpable sense of excitement when Rian Johnson most modestly hinted at the direction of his Star Wars movie and Kathleen Kennedy's allusion to Steven Spielberg.

Black Series Kylo Ren for Star Wars Celebration

Hasbro has announced an exclusive Black Series action figure collectible depicting Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), featuring the chard remains of Darth Vader's helmet, for Star Wars Celebration Europe.

The cool looking set also includes Ren's own helmet, crossguard lightsaber and a First Order banner.

The unique high-end action figure will be available exclusively from the Forbidden Planet booth while stocks last.

In related news. Episode VIII director Rian Johnson will appear at Star Wars Celebration! The second Star Wars sequel concludes principal photography on July 22nd.

Kylo Ren is Undercover Boss on SNL

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) goes undercover as Matt, a radar technician on Starkiller Base, in Saturday Night Live's inspired Undercover Boss spoof!

"You get so caught up in restoring the galaxy to its rightful state that you miss what's going on behind the scenes. I'm looking forward to having some real talk with some real folks," explains Kylo before heading into the base. Can he control those infamous temper tantrums or will First Order employees see him through his disguise?



What did you think of SNL's latest Star Wars parody? Let me know in the comments below.

The Force Awakens soars with Star Wars magic of old

This is the Star Wars movie fans are looking for. Over the summer Jurassic World took an ageing franchise and reinvigorated it into box office gold. Now, the granddaddy of them all enjoys a yuletide homecoming without equal following a ten year absence.

Time enough for the prequels to fade, a change of ownership and fans to focus on events following Return of the Jedi over thirty years ago. Marvel Comics couldn't satiate my yearning to see beloved heroes in new adventures on the big screen. What happened to Luke Skywalker and friends after the defeat of Darth Vader and his Emperor?



Director JJ Abrams had already captured the magic of Steven Spielberg in Super 8 and now George Lucas' saga sees him graduate into the top flight of Hollywood directors.

Fresh from rebooting Star Trek. Abrams' supernatural grasp of the mythology of the original trilogy delivers spectacularly in a superlative sequel brushing shoulders with The Empire Strikes Back during its bleakest moments and equalling A New Hope.

In Abrams' galactic odyssey we witness Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) rage surpassing sulky Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy and Rey's (Daisy Ridley) reluctance to fathom her mysterious past as she befriends Finn (John Boyega), a disenfranchised First Order Stormtrooper, and leaves behind life as a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku after rescuing BB-8. The spherical droid newcomer is truly a marvel to behold and takes its rightful place alongside R2-D2 and C-3PO.



Amidst the Arthurian storytelling and beguiling vistas shot on Kodak film, John Williams' sweeping soundtrack for The Force Awakens is triumphant. More than once it prompted bittersweet feelings of nostalgia at seeing Star Wars for the first time with my late mother. A transcendental experience in the wake of childhood trauma in 1977.



Star Wars hadn't opened in the UK when I was admitted into children's hospital following a serious head injury. But, I remember the American neurosurgeon - who saved my life alongside a talented team - saying I had to promise him I'd see Star Wars and gave me a poster of R2-D2 and C-3PO as a parting gift! The promise was kept.

What of Luke Skywalker's fate? That's for fans to discover for themselves. The old and new cast shine with charisma and Daisy Ridley, beautiful and effervescent, carries the movie with an aplomb belying her freshman acting career. The sight of a squadron of X-Wings was met with whoops and cries of delight.



I laughed, cheered and cried watching my most cherished film franchise soar once more. The emotional stakes are raised in a galaxy far, far away...

Thank you for an incredible Christmas gift, JJ!

Star Wars TV Spot is a Thanksgiving treat

It's Thanksgiving in the US and Disney has unleashed the full fury of the dark side in this new TV Spot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!



Kylo Ren is to be tested and I've got a bad feeling about the fate of our heroes in the new movie. Three weeks today I'll be watching The Force Awakens and that blows my mind.

In related news. I've teamed up with Design By Humans to offer readers an exclusive saving of 10% on all products with no minimum spend requirement. Use promo code: GENSTARWARS.

Happy Thanksgiving to US readers!

Kylo and the Knights of Ren

The villains in Star Wars always look cooler than the good guys and that tradition continues in The Force Awakens. Enter dark knight Kylo Ren.

"He is a character who came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren," director JJ Abrams told Entertainment Weekly in August.

"He is not your prototypical moustache-twirling bad guy. He is a little bit more complex than that, and it was a great joy to work with Adam Driver on this role, because he threw himself into it in a deep and remarkable way."

"He's full of emotion," added writer Lawrence Kasdan. "No matter how we express ourselves in the world, whether we hide it and act very calm or whether we're very out there and demonstrative, everybody's roiling with emotion. And you want your characters to be that way, too."

Kylo Ren isn't a Sith according to director JJ Abrams. So does this make him an über Darth Vader fanboy as implied in the second teaser trailer? This could be an interesting plot twist, if true, and has prompted a theory I have regarding the fate of another character and their story arc in the new trilogy.

Do you think Kylo Ren is a Sith? Let me know in the comments below.